St. Louis Union Station#MetroLink

{{short description|Former railroad station in St. Louis, Missouri}}

{{Redirect|Saint Louis Station|other uses|St. Louis station (disambiguation){{!}}St. Louis station}}

{{Infobox station

| name = St. Louis, MO

| style = Amtrak

| style2 = Amtrak old

| image = St. Louis Union Station, Market Street, St. Louis, MO - 53050963215.jpg

| image_size =

| image_caption =

| address = 1820 Market Street

| borough = St. Louis, Missouri

| line =

| other = {{rint|light rail|1}} {{rcb|MetroLink (St. Louis)|Red|inline=route}} {{rcb|MetroLink (St. Louis)|Blue|inline=route}}

At Union Station (MetroLink)

| platform = 3 island platforms

| tracks = 4 (used for excursions)

| parking = Yes

| bicycle =

| baggage_check =

| opened = 1894

| closed = 1978

| rebuilt = 1985 (mall)

2019 (aquarium)

| accessible = Yes

| owned = Lodging Hospitality Management

| zone =

| passengers =

| pass_year =

| pass_percent =

| pass_system =

| other_services_header = Former services

| other_services_collapsible = yes

| other_services = {{Adjacent stations

|system1=Amtrak

|line1=National Limited|left1=Kirkwood|right1=Effingham

|line2=Inter-American|left2=Poplar Bluff|right2=Alton

|line3=Ann Rutledge|left3=Kirkwood|right3=Alton|to-right3=Chicago

|line4=State House|right4=Alton

|system5=Alton Railroad

|line5=Main|right5=Granite City

|line6=Kansas City-St. Louis|left6=Washington Av

|system7=Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

|line7=St. Louis Line|right7=East St. Louis

|system8=Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad

|line8=Burlington–St. Louis|left8=Washington Avenue

|line9=St. Louis–Savanna|right9=Washington Avenue

|line10=Kansas City–St. Louis|left10=Louisiana, MO

|line11=Kansas City–St. Louis shortline|left11=Old Monroe

|system12=Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad

|line12=Chicago-St. Louis|right12=Washington Avenue

|system13=Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad

|line13=Main|right13=Washington Avenue

|system14=Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

|line14=Kansas City-St. Louis|left14=Vandeventer

|system15=Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad

|line15=Main|right15=East St. Louis|to-right15=Mobile

|system16=Illinois Central Railroad

|line16=St. Louis-Gilman|right16=East St. Louis

|line17=St. Louis-Carbondale|right17=East St. Louis

|system18=Louisville and Nashville Railroad

|line18=St. Louis–Nashville|right18=Washington Avenue

|line19=St. Louis–Louisville|right19=Washington Avenue

|system20=Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad

|line20=Main|left20=Machens

|system21=Missouri Pacific Railroad

|line21=Main|left21=Tower Grove

|line22=Texarkana-St. Louis|left22=Tower Grove

|line23=St. Louis-Memphis|left23=Tower Grove|to-left23=Memphis

|system24=New York Central Railroad

|line24=St. Louis-Cleveland|right24=Terre Haute

|line25=St. Louis-Cleveland|right25=East St. Louis

|system26=Nickel Plate Road

|line26=Clover Leaf|right26=East St. Louis

|line27=Cleveland-St. Louis|right27=East St. Louis

|system28=Pennsylvania Railroad

|line28=St. Louis-Pittsburgh|right28=East St. Louis

|system29=Frisco

|line29=Main|left29=Tower Grove

|line30=Memphis–St. Louis|left30=Tower Grove

|system31=St. Louis Southwestern Railway

|line31=Main|left31=Valley Junction

|system32=Southern Railway

|line32=St. Louis-Danville|right32=East St. Louis

|system33=Wabash Railroad

|line33=Main|left33=Vandeventer|right33=Washington Avenue

|line34=St. Louis-Detroit|right34=Washington Avenue

|line35=Omaha-St. Louis|left35=Vandeventer

}}

| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = St. Louis Union Station

| nrhp_type = nhl

| designated_other1_name = St. Louis Landmark

| designated_other1_date =

| designated_other1_abbr = STLL

| designated_other1_link = St. Louis Landmark

| designated_other1_color = #aaccff

| image =

| caption =

| coordinates = {{coord|38|37|40.9|N|90|12|28.34|W|display=inline,title}}

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |marker=rail |marker-color=#888 |zoom=14 }}

| built = 1892–94

| architect = Theodore Link

| architecture = Romanesque Revival

| area =

| designated_nrhp_type = December 30, 1970{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1044&ResourceType=Building|title=Union Station|access-date=2008-06-28|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301032551/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1044&ResourceType=Building|archive-date=2009-03-01}}

| added = June 15, 1970

| refnum = 70000888{{NRISref|2009a}}

}}

St. Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark and former train station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. At its 1894 opening, the station was the largest in the world. Traffic peaked at 100,000 people a day in the 1940s.{{Cite web|url=https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: St. Louis Union Station|last=Holmes|first=M. Patricia|date=January 28, 1970|website=Missouri Department of Natural Resources|access-date=February 23, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030034305/https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf|url-status=dead}} The last Amtrak passenger train left the station in 1978.

In the 1980s, it was renovated as a hotel, shopping center, and entertainment complex. The 2010s and 2020s saw more renovation and expansion of entertainment and office capacity. The current hotel portion of the station is currently a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.{{Cite web |title=Hotel History – St. Louis Union Station, Curio Collection by Hilton |url=https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/st-louis-union-station-hotel-curio-collection-by-hilton/history.php |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Historic Hotels of America |language=en}}

An adjacent station serves the light-rail MetroLink Red and Blue Lines, which run under the station in the Union Station subway tunnel. The city's intercity train station sits {{Convert|1/4|mi|m}} to the south, serving MetroLink, Amtrak, and Greyhound Bus.

History

= 19th century =

File:PASSENGERS JAM THE INTERIOR OF THE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, UNION STATION IN A COPYRIGHTED PICTURE TAKEN BY B.A. ATWATER... - NARA - 556056.jpg

File:Union Station St Louis diagram.jpg

File:Missouri - St. Louis - NARA - 23941827 (cropped).jpg

The station was opened on September 1, 1894, by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. The station was designed by Theodore Link, and included three main areas: the Headhouse and the Midway, and the {{convert|11.5|acre|m2|adj=on}} Train Shed designed by civil engineer George H. Pegram.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stlouisunionstation.com/about/|title=About – St. Louis Union Station|website=St. Louis Union Station|language=en|access-date=2016-05-11}} The headhouse originally housed a hotel, a restaurant, passenger waiting rooms and railroad ticketing offices. It featured a gold-leafed Grand Hall, Romanesque arches, a {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=on}} barrel-vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows. The clock tower is {{convert|230|ft|m}} high.{{Cite web |url=https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2020-02-24 |archive-date=2020-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030034305/https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Union Station's headhouse and midway are constructed of Indiana limestone and initially included 32 tracks under its vast trainshed terminating in the stub-end terminal. Its Grand Hall, which cost around $6.5 million and was about {{convert|75|by|125|ft|m}} large, was considered to be one of the most beautiful public lobbies.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

At its opening, it was the world's largest{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2020742816/ |title=Elegant detail inside the former St. Louis Union Station, which, at its opening in 1894, was the world's largest train station |publisher=Library of Congress |accessdate=July 29, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/cultural-resources/Union-Station-Historic-District.cfm |title=Union Station Historic District |publisher=State of Missouri |accessdate=July 29, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/union-station |title=Union Station |publisher=ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) |accessdate=July 29, 2024}} and busiest railroad station and its trainshed was the largest roof span in the world.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

= 20th century =

In 1903, Union Station was expanded to accommodate visitors to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In the 1920s, it remained the largest American railroad terminal.{{Cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/5ed44790-f937-4bba-b8a4-38f919d5d5a3/ |title=Union Station, 1820 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri / The National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings / DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE |date=January 8, 1971 |website=nps.gov |access-date=2017-10-10}}

At its height, the station combined the St. Louis passenger services of 22 railroads, the most of any single terminal in the world. In the 1940s, it handled 100,000 passengers a day. During World War II, German actor Til Kiwe, was recaptured in the station's waiting room after escaping from a POW camp in Colorado.{{cite web|url=https://www.westword.com/news/german-pow-camp-in-trinidad-was-the-great-escape-for-nazi-officers-9679327|title=For Nazi Officers, Trinidad's POW Camp Was the Great Escape|website=www.westword.com|date=November 21, 2017|quote=Still, the obstacles didn’t deter Captain Till Edward Kiefer, who was shot down over Tunisia in 1943 and escaped his American captors three times. For his most notable egress from the Trinidad camp, he used a vegetable dye to turn his dress uniform brown and arranged for a noncom to answer for him at roll call. He made it to St. Louis before someone noticed that there was an Aryan-looking fellow in full Nazi attire killing time in the train station waiting room.}}

The 1940s expansion added a new ticket counter designed as a half-circle and a mural by Louis Grell could be found atop the customer waiting area which depicted the history of St. Louis with an old fashion steam engine, two large steamboats and the Eads Bridge in the background.

The famous photograph of Harry S. Truman holding aloft the erroneous Chicago Tribune headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman", was shot at the station as Truman headed back to Washington, D.C., from Independence, Missouri, after the 1948 Presidential election.

As airliners became the primary mode of long-distance travel and railroad passenger services declined in the 1950s and 1960s, the massive station became obsolete and too expensive to maintain for its original purpose. By 1961, several tracks had been paved over for parking. Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971 but abandoned Union Station on October 31, 1978. By then, Amtrak had cut back service to four routes per day–the State House, the Ann Rutledge, the National Limited (formerly the Spirit of St. Louis) and the Inter-American. The eight total trains were nowhere near enough to justify the use of such a large facility. The last train to leave Union Station was a Chicago-bound Inter-American. Passenger service shifted to a temporary-style "Amshack" two blocks east. Amtrak has since moved its St. Louis service to the Gateway Transportation Center, one block east of Union Station.{{cite news | title=Historic Station At End Of Line | newspaper=Toledo Blade | date=November 1, 1978 | access-date=2010-04-25 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DnYUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fAIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4753,142535&dq=st-louis+amtrak&hl=en}} The source says there were three daily trains when there were actually four.{{cite web| work=Riverfront Times| url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2004-12-08/news/save-the-amshack| date=2008-12-04| title=Save the Amshack!| access-date=2008-12-28| archive-date=2015-08-11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811120237/http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2004-12-08/news/save-the-amshack/| url-status=dead}}

The station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, as an important surviving example of large-scale railroad architecture from the late 19th century.{{cite web|url=http://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf|title=NHL nomination for Union Station|publisher=Missouri DNR|access-date=2017-03-07|archive-date=2017-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125100324/https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000888.pdf|url-status=dead}} It was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1981.{{cite web |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=62210 |title=Union Station Historical Marker |author= |website=The Historical Marker Database |access-date=March 6, 2021}}

In August 1985, after a $150 million renovation designed by HOK, Union Station was reopened with a 539-room hotel, shopping mall, restaurants and food court. Federal historic rehabilitation tax credits were used to transform Union Station into one of the city's most visited attractions. The station rehabilitation by Conrad Schmitt StudiosArtisans here put skills to work restoring St. Louis train station – The Milwaukee Sentinel – Aug 29, 1985 remains one of the largest adaptive re-use projects in the United States. The hotel is housed in the headhouse and part of the train shed, which also houses a lake and shopping, entertainment and dining establishments. Omni Hotels was the original hotel operator, followed by Hyatt Regency Hotel chain and Marriott Hotels.

= 21st century =

File:St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station Entrance.jpg

File:The St. Louis Wheel at Union Station.jpg

In 2010–11, the station's Marriott Hotel in the main terminal building was expanded. It took over the station's Midway area; all stores were moved to the train shed shopping arcade. In 2012, Lodging Hospitality Management bought Union Station and rebranded the hotel as a DoubleTree.[http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/trains-could-return-to-st-louis-union-station/article_27088448-119b-11e2-9079-0019bb30f31a.html Trains could return to St. Louis Union Station] In August 2016, Lodging Hospitality Management announced plans to renovate Union Station once again, included plans for an aquarium. The Memories Museum features artifacts and displays about the history of St. Louis Union Station and rail travel in the United States.{{cite web|title=St. Louis Union Station – A National Historic Landmark with Memories As Major Rail Hub|url=http://www.slfp.com/UnionStation.html|publisher=St. Louis Front Page|access-date=16 November 2015|archive-date=October 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007050900/http://www.slfp.com/UnionStation.html|url-status=dead}} Located on the upper level of the train shed, the museum is a joint project of Union Station Associates and the National Museum of Transportation. The original architectural drawings and blueprints for Union Station and the original hotel are available to researchers at the Washington University Archives at Washington University in St. Louis.{{Cite web|url=http://archon.wustl.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=528&q=Union+Station|title=St. Louis Union Station Architectural Drawings (WUA00363), 1891–1970 {{!}} WUA University Archives|website=archon.wustl.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-06-15|archive-date=October 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010010347/http://archon.wustl.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=528&q=Union+Station|url-status=dead}} Some architectural elements from the building have been removed in renovations and taken to the Sauget, Illinois, storage site of the National Building Arts Center.[http://www.buildingmuseum.org/recovery.htm List of Recovered Buildings] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117013416/http://www.buildingmuseum.org/recovery.htm |date= November 17, 2009 }}

St. Louis Union Station was the venue for the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship component of the FIRST Championship, hosted in St. Louis every April until 2017, after which it was moved to Detroit.

The station's train shed area features The St. Louis Wheel, a {{Convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on}} high, 42 gondola observation wheel.

Inside the station is The St. Louis Rope Course, a {{Convert|90000|cuft|m3}}, 3-story indoor ropes and zip line course.

Union Station has two light show features: one in the train shed area, and another inside Union Station Hotel's lobby.

In January 2020, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. moved their global headquarters to downtown St. Louis inside the {{Convert|68000|ft|m|abbr=on}} Grand Central Building inside the Union Station complex. The company also opened their new Build-A-Bear Workshop Union Station headquarters store and also operates a Build-A-Bear Radio studio and other experiential elements at their new headquarters. Additionally, a Ferris wheel, aquarium, and an abundance of restaurants have been added to Union Station in 2020.

In 2020, the St. Louis Aquarium opened in the former shopping mall space in the building.{{cite web | url=https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2021/01/04/steve-oloughlin-union-station/ | title=New glory for Union Station: Alumnus Steve O'Loughlin helps transform the once-dead mall and sees it through the pandemic | date=January 4, 2021 }} At {{Convert|120000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}, the aquarium is home to more than 13,000 animals representing over 250 species.

Transportation

= MetroLink =

MetroLink, the St. Louis region's light rail system, serves Union Station via the Red and Blue lines. The station is located beneath the train shed in the historic Union Station Baggage Tunnel. This tunnel was originally constructed in the 1890s as a below grade transfer area for baggage between trains.{{Cite web |last=Lyles-Wiggins |first=Francoise |date=August 8, 2018 |title=Union Station Tunnel |url=https://www.bistatedev.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Union-Station-Tunnel-DBE-Project-Overall-Goal-Methodology.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=Bi-State Development Agency}} It was converted and opened for MetroLink usage in 1993 and has seen several renovations over the years, most notably in 2010 and 2016.{{Cite web |last=Courtney |date=2010-12-14 |title=Union Station Tunnels Get An Upgrade in Infrastructure |url=https://www.metrostlouis.org/nextstop/union-station-tunnels-get-an-upgrade-in-infrastructure/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Metro Transit – Saint Louis |language=en |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230243/https://www.metrostlouis.org/nextstop/union-station-tunnels-get-an-upgrade-in-infrastructure/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |date=2016-12-07 |title=Modjeski and Masters awarded engineering contract for St. Louis Union Station Tunnel |url=https://www.rtands.com/passenger/modjeski-and-masters-awarded-engineering-contract-for-st-louis-union-station-tunnel/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Railway Track and Structures |language=en-US}} The tunnel is expected to see another major renovation in 2025.{{Cite web |title=Union Station Tunnel Rehabilitation |url=https://www.metrostlouis.org/project/union-station-tunnel-rehabilitation/ |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=Metro Transit – Saint Louis |language=en}}

It takes about 30 minutes to travel to either terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport via the Red Line.

= Gateway Transportation Station =

The city's major transportation hub, Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center, is located two blocks from Union Station. It also serves MetroLink in addition to local buses and national connections with Amtrak, Greyhound and other services.

= Taxi and rideshare =

St. Louis Union Station has 24-hour taxi service at its north entrance on Market Street.

Filming

In 1981, areas of the then disused station were used in the filming of John Carpenter's movie Escape from New York. A scene involving the captured President was shot in the station's train shed and the film's gladiatorial fight was staged in the Grand Hall.{{Cite web |title=Filming Locations for Escape From New York (1981), in Missouri, Los Angeles and New York. |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/e/Escape-From-New-York.php |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations}}