Union Station (Albany, New York) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Albany
A postcard of the station from c. 1930
Location	575 Broadway, Albany, New York
Owned by	New York Central Railroad
Line(s)	Hudson Division
Train operators	New York Central Railroad Boston and Albany Railroad Delaware and Hudson Railway West Shore Railroad
Other information
Status	Closed
History
Opened	1900 (1900)
Closed	1981 (1981)
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station West Albany toward Chicago Main Line Rensselaer toward New York Terminus West Shore Railroad Albany branch Selkirk toward Weehawken Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line Rensselaer toward Boston Preceding station Delaware and Hudson Railway Following station Menands toward Montreal Main Line Terminus Delmar toward Binghamton Susquehanna Division
Albany Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in New York
Built	1899–1900
Architect	Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge; Norcross Bros.
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.	71000516
Added to NRHP	February 18, 1971

Union Station, also called Albany Union Station, is a famous building in Albany, New York. It stands at the corner of Broadway and Steuben Street. Built between 1899 and 1900, it was once a busy train station. Today, it is home to credit union offices. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Experts say Union Station was very important for Albany's growth in the 1900s. It was designed in 1899 by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge. This company also designed other big stations like South Station in Boston. The building was constructed by Norcross Brothers, who were known as excellent builders.

History of Albany's Union Station

Union Station in 1904

Train Services at Union Station

Union Station was a very busy place. In 1900, about 96 trains arrived and left each day. During World War II, this number grew to 121 trains daily. It was the main train station for the Capital District area.

The station mainly served the New York Central passenger trains. Other train companies, like the Delaware & Hudson, also used it. In December 1968, a new station opened across the river. This was the Rensselaer Rail Station in Rensselaer, New York. It took over train services for the new Penn Central Railroad company. Three years later, Amtrak also started using the new Rensselaer station.

Union Station Becomes an Office Building

The former Albany Union Station in 2010

In 1986, Peter Kiernan, who led Norstar Bankcorp Inc, moved his bank's main office to Union Station. The bank was a large company listed in the Fortune 500. He hired EYP Architecture & Engineering to update the old building. This big renovation cost $14.5 million.

During the renovation, workers found a special bottle. It was hanging on a nail behind a plaster wall decoration. Inside the bottle was a note from August 12, 1900. The note was signed by "AA Johnsen, Foreman." It listed the names of the original construction workers and companies. It also said that workers earned 45 cents per hour back then. Mr. Kiernan then placed a new time capsule in the building. This new capsule held details about the 1986 renovation.

Union Station was renamed Norstar Plaza. Later, Norstar Bancorp joined with another company, Fleet Financial Group Inc. Norstar Plaza became one of the new company's main offices. In 1989, the building was renamed Peter D. Kiernan Plaza to honor Mr. Kiernan, who had passed away.

Near the end of 1999, the company spent $25 million more on the building. They added new computer systems and updated the heating and cooling. In 2004, Bank of America bought FleetBoston and kept the building. The bank later sold Kiernan Plaza in 2005 but continued to rent space there. In 2009, Bank of America moved its offices from Kiernan Plaza to another building in Albany. This move did not cause any job losses.