Omaha Union Station facts for kids

Union Passenger Terminal
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Interior of Union Station
Location in Nebraska
Location	801 South 10th Street Omaha, Nebraska
Built	1931
Architect	Gilbert Stanley Underwood
Architectural style	Art Deco
Part of	Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District (ID96000769)
NRHP reference No.	71000484
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 12, 1971
Designated NHL	December 23, 2016
Designated CP	July 19, 1996

The Union Station in Omaha, Nebraska, also called the Union Passenger Terminal, is a super cool building! It's known as one of the best examples of Art Deco style in the middle of the United States.

This amazing building is located at 801 South 10th Street. It became an Omaha Landmark in 1978. Later, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 2016, it was named a National Historic Landmark.

The Union Station is also part of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District. It was the very first Art Deco train station built by the Union Pacific Railroad. When it was finished, it made Omaha a really important city for train travel in the Midwest.

History of Omaha's Train Stations

Omaha has a long history with trains. The first big train station here was built a long time ago.

Building the Second Station

A Chicago architect named Charles Sumner Frost designed the second train station in Omaha. Construction started in October 1898. It was finished on December 1, 1899, and cost about $405,782.

The building's front was 60 feet (about 18 meters) tall. It was mostly made from bricks from Omaha and stone from Bedford. A special roof of glass and iron kept passengers dry as they entered the station.

The Current Union Station Building

The side of Union Station where trains used to arrive, on September 22, 2018.

The building you see today was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood from Los Angeles. It has a strong steel frame covered with cream-colored glazed terra cotta. Building started on July 29, 1929, and it was ready by January 15, 1931.

This huge building is 124,000 square feet (about 11,520 square meters). It cost $3.5 million to build! Underwood, the architect, said he wanted the building to show the "strength, power, and masculinity" of railroads.

When the station opened, Carl Raymond Gray, who was the president of the Union Pacific railroad, said it was built "to serve, comfort and convenience of the people."

Cool Features and Busy Times

Before the Union Station was built, the Burlington Train Station was built just one block away. Within ten years, seven different railroads used that station.

When the Union Station opened, it was famous for its cool new technology. It had electric belts to move luggage, escalators, and lots of lights. People also loved its fancy look, with big restrooms, beautiful marble floors and columns, and rich oak wood around all the windows and doors. In its first year, 1.5 million passengers passed through!

Union Station in May 1980.

By 1946, 64 steam trains were running, bringing 10,000 passengers in and out of Union Station every day. But things changed quickly over the next ten years.

Changes in Train Travel

In 1956, the Chicago and North Western Railroad stopped its service through Omaha. Then, in 1960, the Wabash Railroad left. By 1965, the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the Chicago Great Western Railway also stopped running trains here. The Rock Island Railroad followed in 1969.

Passenger train service at Union Station completely stopped in 1971. In 1973, the Union Pacific Railroad gave the station to the City of Omaha.

Union Station Today: The Durham Museum

That same year, the station quickly became the home of the Durham Museum. The Union Pacific Museum and Archives were also located there.

In 1997, the Union Station got a big update. It added 22,000 square feet (about 2,044 square meters) and new climate controls for the museum. Today, the building is still an important part of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District. It's also close to the Old Market Historic District and Omaha's Little Italy neighborhoods.

See also

In Spanish: Union Station (Omaha) para niños