Union Station (St. Louis) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Louis Union Station
Outside the station is Carl Milles' fountain sculpture Meeting Waters
Location	1820 Market Street St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Owned by	Bi-State Development Agency dba Metro
Platforms	1
Tracks	2
Connections	St. Louis Metrolink at Union Station   Red Line   Blue Line MetroBus: 4, 41, and 97 Megabus (to Memphis, Tennessee, Kansas City, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois)
Construction
Parking	Yes; Paid
Disabled access	Accessible
Other information
Station code	STL
History
Opened	1892-94
Rebuilt	1985
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kirkwood toward Kansas City National Limited Effingham toward New York or Washington, D.C. Poplar Bluff toward Laredo or Houston Inter-American Alton toward Chicago Kirkwood toward Kansas City Ann Rutledge Terminus State House Preceding station Alton Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Granite City toward Chicago Washington Av toward Kansas City Kansas City – St. Louis Terminus Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station Terminus St. Louis Line East St. Louis toward Cumberland Preceding station Burlington Route Following station Washington Avenue toward Burlington Burlington – St. Louis Terminus Terminus St. Louis – Savanna Washington Avenue toward Savanna Louisiana, MO toward Kansas City Kansas City – St. Louis Terminus Old Monroe toward Kansas City Kansas City – St. Louis Shortline Preceding station Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Following station Terminus Chicago – St. Louis Washington Avenue toward Chicago Preceding station Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Washington Avenue toward Peoria Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station Vandeventer toward Kansas City Kansas City – St. Louis Terminus Preceding station Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line East St. Louis toward Mobile Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station Terminus St. Louis – Gilman East St. Louis toward Gilman St. Louis – Carbondale East St. Louis toward Carbondale Preceding station Louisville and Nashville Railroad Following station Terminus St. Louis – Nashville Washington Avenue toward Nashville Preceding station Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad Following station Machens toward Parsons Main Line Terminus Preceding station Missouri Pacific Railroad Following station Tower Grove toward Kansas City Main Line Terminus Tower Grove toward Texarkana Texarkana – St. Louis Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Terminus Big Four Route Main Line Indianapolis toward Cleveland East St. Louis toward Cleveland Preceding station New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Following station Terminus Clover Leaf District East St. Louis toward Toledo Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Terminus St. Louis – Columbus East St. Louis toward Columbus Preceding station St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Following station Tower Grove toward Paris, TX Main Line Terminus Tower Grove toward Memphis Memphis – St. Louis Preceding station St. Louis Southwestern Railway Following station Valley Junction toward Gatesville Main Line Terminus Preceding station Southern Railway Following station Terminus St. Louis – Danville East St. Louis toward Danville Preceding station Wabash Railroad Following station Vandeventer toward Kansas City Main Line Washington Avenue toward Chicago Terminus St. Louis – Detroit Washington Avenue toward Detroit
St. Louis Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location in St. Louis Show map of St. Louis Location in Missouri Show map of Missouri Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	St. Louis, Missouri  United States
Built	1892-94
Architect	Theodore Link
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.	70000888
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 15, 1970
Designated NHL	December 30, 1970

St. Louis Union Station is a famous building in St. Louis, Missouri. It used to be a very busy train station. When it opened in 1894, it was the largest train station in the world. All its tracks and passenger areas were on one level.

In the 1940s, about 100,000 people passed through the station every day! The last passenger train left the station in 1978.

Later, in the 1980s, the station was changed into a hotel, a shopping area, and a fun entertainment complex. More updates happened in the 2010s and 2020s. Today, it's a popular spot with many attractions.

Right next to Union Station, there's a station for the MetroLink light-rail system. This system has Red and Blue Lines that run in a tunnel under the station. The city's main train station, the Gateway Transportation Center, is also nearby. It serves MetroLink, Amtrak trains, and Greyhound buses.

History of St. Louis Union Station

Building the Station: The 1800s

Union Station was the largest and busiest train station in the world in 1894.

Original track layout

St. Louis Union Station opened on September 1, 1894. The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis built it. Theodore Link was the architect who designed the station.

The station had three main parts: the Headhouse, the Midway, and the Train Shed. The Train Shed was huge, covering about 11.5 acres (4.7 hectares). The Headhouse had a hotel, a restaurant, waiting rooms, and offices for buying train tickets.

The Headhouse featured a beautiful Grand Hall. It had gold leaf decorations, Romanesque arches, and a high, curved ceiling. The ceiling was 65 feet (20 meters) tall. Stained-glass windows added to its beauty. The station's tall clock tower reaches 230 feet (70 meters) high.

The Headhouse and Midway were built with Indiana Limestone. The station originally had 32 tracks under its large roof. The Grand Hall cost about $6.5 million to build. It was about 75 by 125 feet (23 by 38 meters) and was considered one of the most beautiful public spaces. When it opened, Union Station was the world's largest and busiest train station. Its train shed had the largest roof span in the world.

Peak Years and Changes: The 1900s

Fanciful drawing by artist Marguerite Martyn of a newlywed couple at Union Station, 1906.

President Truman at Union Station holds a newspaper with the wrong headline in 1948.

In 1903, Union Station was made even bigger. This was to welcome visitors for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In the 1920s, it was still the largest train terminal in America.

At its busiest, 22 different railroads used Union Station. This was more than any other single station in the world. In the 1940s, it served 100,000 passengers daily. A famous photo of President Harry S. Truman was taken here. He was holding a newspaper with the wrong headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman", after the 1948 election.

In the 1940s, a new ticket counter was added. It was shaped like a half-circle. A large mural by Louis Grell showed the history of St. Louis. It featured an old steam engine, steamboats, and the Eads Bridge.

As airliners became popular for long trips, fewer people traveled by train. The huge station became too expensive to keep up. By 1961, some tracks were even paved over for parking. Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971. However, Amtrak stopped using Union Station on October 31, 1978. By then, only a few trains used the station each day. This was not enough to justify such a large building. The last train to leave was an Inter-American going to Chicago. Passenger service then moved to a smaller, temporary station nearby. Amtrak now uses the Gateway Transportation Center, which is one block east of Union Station.

In 1970, Union Station was named a National Historic Landmark. This was because it was an important example of large railroad architecture from the late 1800s.

In August 1985, Union Station reopened after a big $150 million renovation. The company HOK designed the changes. It became a hotel with 539 rooms, a shopping mall, and restaurants. Old parts of the station were reused in new ways. The hotel is in the Headhouse and part of the train shed. The train shed also now has a lake, shops, and places to eat.

Union Station Today: The 2000s

St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station Entrance South Trainshed The St. Louis Wheel at Union Station The St. Louis Rope Course

In 2010–2011, the Marriott Hotel in the main building got bigger. It took over the station's Midway area. All the shops moved to the train shed. In 2012, Lodging Hospitality Management bought Union Station. They changed the hotel to a Doubletree hotel.

In 2016, plans were announced to renovate Union Station again. These plans included building an aquarium. The Memories Museum is also at the station. It shows artifacts and information about Union Station's history and train travel. This museum is a joint project of Union Station Associates and the Museum of Transportation.

Today, the station is home to the St. Louis Aquarium. This aquarium is 120,000 square feet (11,148 square meters) in size. It has more than 13,000 animals from over 250 different species.

The station's train shed area also has The St. Louis Wheel. This is a 200-foot (61-meter) tall observation wheel with 42 gondolas. Inside the station, you can find The St. Louis Rope Course. It's a 90,000 cubic foot (2,548 cubic meter), 3-story indoor ropes and zip line course.

Union Station also has two light shows. One is in the train shed area, and the other is inside the Union Station Hotel's lobby. In January 2020, Build-A-Bear Workshop moved its main office to Union Station. They also opened a new store and a Build-A-Bear Radio studio there.

Getting Around: Transportation

MetroLink map

MetroLink (Subway/Rail)

MetroLink is the public transit system in St. Louis. It serves Union Station from a station directly below the train shed. This station is in the Union Station subway tunnel. The St. Louis Union Station serves both the Red Line and Blue Line. It takes about 30 minutes to get to St. Louis Lambert International Airport using the Metro Red Line.

Bus Services

Megabus used to offer express bus service from Union Station. These buses went to cities like Memphis, Tennessee, Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago. In December 2014, Megabus moved its services to the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center.

Taxis and Ride Shares

St. Louis Union Station has taxi service available 24 hours a day. You can find taxis at the north entrance on Market Street.

Here are some approximate travel times by taxi during non-rush hour:

• Downtown St. Louis hotels: 5–8 minutes
• St. Louis International Airport: 25–30 minutes
• Gateway Arch/Laclede's Landing: 8 minutes
• America's Center/Convention Center: 8–10 minutes

Gateway Transportation Center

The city's main transportation hub is the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center. It is located right next to Union Station. This center serves the city's rail system, local buses (MetroBus), Greyhound buses, Amtrak trains, and city taxi services.

Filming Location

In 1981, the empty Grand Hall of Union Station was used in the movie Escape from New York. It was the setting for a fight scene in the film.

Photo Gallery

• 

  Union Station around 1909.

• 

  Grand Hall, from a postcard mailed in 1909.

• 

  Grand Hall in 2007.

• 

  The station now serves as a hotel and shopping complex.

• 

  A Red Line MetroLink train leaves Union Station.

See also

In Spanish: Union Station (San Luis) para niños