Union Station (Burlington, Vermont) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Burlington Union Station
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View of Union Station from Main Street
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| Location | 1 Main Street Burlington, Vermont United States |
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| Coordinates | 44°28′33″N 73°13′10″W / 44.475709°N 73.219577°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opened | 1916 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Union Station building is located at 1 Main Street in Burlington, Vermont. It was last used as a train station in 1953. Today, the building is owned by Main Street Landing Company. It is now home to offices and art studios.
The Vermont Rail System runs special train rides from the platform behind the building. These are called excursion trains.
Contents
History of Burlington's Train Stations
The First Train Station: Union Depot
Burlington had an older train station called the Union Depot. It opened in 1867. This depot was located near where College Street and Lake Street meet today. It served passengers for the Vermont Central and Vermont and Canada railroads.
The old depot was a large brick building. It had a strong granite foundation. It was 204 feet long and 88 feet wide. This size allowed it to cover three train tracks. The train shed had an arched roof and tall, narrow windows. Each of its four corners had a two-story tower. These towers were used for storage and decoration.
Today, the area where the old Union Depot stood looks very different. Part of it is now a lawn at the waterfront park. You can also find the Island Line Trail there, which is great for biking and walking. The current train track, a red-roofed tourist information building, and part of a parking lot also sit on the old depot's site.
Building the New Union Station
The current Burlington Union Station opened on January 23, 1916. The Central Vermont Railway and the Rutland Railroad built it together. It cost between $150,000 and $200,000 to build. The City of Burlington also helped by giving $15,000.
A New York architect named Alfred Fellheimer designed the station. Charles Schultz was the supervising architect. The W. Shelton Swallow Company from New York was the main builder.
Union Station is made of tan-colored brick. It has limestone trim around its edges. The main structure inside is made of steel and strong concrete. Beautiful Vermont marble was used a lot inside the building.
The station's design is called Beaux Arts. This style is simple and very balanced. It has a main entrance with three sections. A low, triangular roof part sits above this entrance. On each side, there are five more sections. Tall, flat columns called Pilasters separate each section.
When passengers arrived from the street, they walked through the eastern doors. These doors led right into the main waiting room. This room was 30 feet wide and 75 feet long. The train tracks were on the west side, at the first floor level.
An enclosed bridge stretched out from the building towards the tracks. From this bridge, stairs led down to the trains. This way, passengers did not have to walk across the tracks. Two long shelters covered the platforms between the train tracks.
Train Services and Closure
Union Station served train travelers for less than 40 years. It was mainly used by the Rutland Railroad's Green Mountain Flyer train. It also served the night train called Mount Royal.
The station closed in 1953. This happened because of a strike. The Rutland Railroad stopped all its passenger train services. In 1955, a company called Green Mountain Power Corporation changed the building. They turned it into office space.
Between 2000 and 2003, a commuter train ran from the platform behind the station. This train was called the Champlain Flyer. It traveled between Charlotte and Burlington. However, not enough people rode the train. In 2002, there was talk of cutting its funding. The Governor Jim Douglas decided the train was not working well. The last Champlain Flyer ran on February 28, 2003.
Current Train Services
Today, the platform behind Union Station is still active. It is the starting point for the Champlain Valley Flyer. This is a special train that offers scenic rides. The Green Mountain Railroad operates these trips.
Future Train Services
There are plans to bring Amtrak train service to Burlington. The Ethan Allen Express currently runs from New York City to Rutland. Efforts are underway to extend this service to Burlington. This would connect Burlington to New York City by train.
Union Station Building Today
The Union Station building is currently owned by Main Street Landing Company. The large main waiting room on the Main Street level is now divided into many offices. These offices are rented by different groups. They include the Vermont Agency of Transportation and various arts organizations. Other tenants include the Christian Science Monitor, the Lake Champlain Land Trust, and fitness clubs. The Vermont Association for Justice also has offices there.
Four cool steel statues of winged monkeys are on the roof of Union Station. An artist named Steve Larrabee created these monkeys. They were first made in 1976 for a local waterbed store. The store was called "Emerald City," like the city in the fictional Land of Oz.
The two original monkey statues from the store, plus two statues of monkey children, are on the roof of the old train station. Two newer monkey statues are on the roof of the nearby Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center.
