![]() In 1981, Congress enacted the Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981, which called on Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole to develop an ambitious plan for the commercial development of the station with the goal of making it financially self-sufficient. ![]() Congress had to decide whether to save the building or bulldoze it. The entire building was finally sealed in 1981. While Congress debated the fate of Union Station, rain damage caused parts of the roof to cave in and toadstools began to grow inside. In 1968, in anticipation of the Bicentennial, the decision was made to transform the Station into the "National Visitor Center." The ill-fated project opened on Jbut failed to draw sufficient crowds to sustain its operation, and was closed in 1978. The advent of air travel led to a decline in railroad passengers, and Union Station began to fall into disuse. Although the floor collapsed under the locomotive, 96 hours later, at 8:00 a.m., an Eisenhower Inaugural special train rolled to a stop on the same track and the concourse showed little evidence of the accident. On Januthe Federal Express Train, out of control on Track 16, crashed through a newsstand and into the main concourse of Union Station. On April 14, 1945, a funeral train crossed the Potomac and backed into Union Station carrying the casket of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. as a major center of transportation and the venue for many historic events. The last President to use the Presidential Suite was President Eisenhower, although, President George Bush did use it during an Inaugural Ball in 1989.įor half a century and through two world wars Union Station served Washington and the U.S. In 1909, President Taft was the first President to use the room and over the years many dignitaries were officially welcomed here, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, King Albert I of Belgium, King Prajadipok of Siam, Queen Marie of Romania, and King Haasan II of Morocco. Presidents in the early 1900s, a Presidential Suite was added to Union Station (now B. At various times it employed a staff of over 5,000 people and provided such amenities as a bowling alley, mortuary, baker, butcher, YMCA, hotel, ice house, liquor store, Turkish baths, first-class restaurant, nursery, police station, and a silver-monogramming shop.Īs train travel was the mode of transportation for even U.S. In many ways, Union Station was a city within a city. The cost was monumental as well - $125 million for the station and its approaches. The white granite and classic lines of Union Station set the stage for the next 40 years of Washington's classic architecture - reflected in the construction of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Supreme Court building. Seventy pounds of 22-karat gold leaf adorned the 96-foot barrel vaulted, coffered ceilings. ![]() Union Station brought to the nation's capital a new grandeur that echoed the Chicago World's Fair and began Washington's monumental transformation. In fact, if put on its side, the Washington Monument could lay within the confines of the Station's concourse. The total area occupied by the Station and the terminal zone was originally about 200 acres and included 75 miles of tracks. Architect, Daniel Burnham designed the building to serve as a gateway for the capital city.Īt the time it was built, the Station covered more ground than any other building in the United States and was the largest train station in the world. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. OmniRide & VRE: Partners in Public Transit.
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