The Story of Union Station
Kansas City’s Union Station opened on October 30, 1914, marking a new chapter in the city’s transformation from frontier town to major transportation hub. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt, the Beaux-Arts masterpiece reflected the ideals of the City Beautiful movement, which sought to bring elegance and civic pride to urban landscapes.
The new station replaced the overcrowded Union Depot in the West Bottoms, which had been damaged by the devastating flood of 1903. The chosen site, at 25th Street and Grand Avenue, sat safely above the floodplain and allowed room for future growth.
Courtesy Union Station.
The $5.8 million structure spanned more than 850,000 square feet and was the third-largest train station in the United States at the time. Its grand hall rose 95 feet high, with a six-foot clock and three 3,500-pound chandeliers that still hang today. The building’s design separated passenger, baggage, and service areas across three levels to streamline operations. Inside, travelers found not only ticketing offices and waiting areas but also restaurants, a barbershop, a post office, and even a small jail and emergency hospital. The station generated its own power and heat through an adjacent plant.
Union Station’s opening was celebrated citywide, and its vast interior quickly became a gathering place for Kansas Citians. The warm rose-brown marble, geometric tile floors, and elegant plaster ceilings created an atmosphere both grand and welcoming. The station’s Harvey House restaurant, part of the Fred Harvey Company, was known for efficient service and quality meals. During its peak years in the 1920s and 1940s, more than 200 trains passed through daily, and in 1945 the station handled a record 678,363 passengers, many returning home from World War II.
The station also witnessed tragedy. On June 17, 1933, the Union Station Massacre took place outside its main doors when gang members attempted to free prisoner Frank Nash from law enforcement custody. Four officers and Nash were killed. The incident prompted nationwide changes in FBI procedures, including the authorization for agents to carry firearms.
By the 1950s, passenger rail travel declined sharply as air and automobile travel became more popular. Union Station’s vast halls emptied, and maintenance costs became unsustainable. Amtrak took over operations in 1971 but moved to a smaller facility in 1985, leaving the building largely abandoned. Despite being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, Union Station fell into disrepair over the next decade.
In 1996, residents of five counties in Missouri and Kansas approved a one-eighth-cent “bi-state” sales tax to fund restoration efforts, raising nearly half of the $250 million needed for rehabilitation. Renovation work began in 1997 and was completed in 1999, restoring much of the station’s historic detail while introducing new uses for the massive space.
Today, Union Station stands as a cherished Kansas City monument. It houses Science City, theaters, restaurants, and exhibit spaces. Amtrak resumed service there in 2002, and the KC Streetcar began stopping at the station in 2016. Once a symbol of the city’s rail dominance, Union Station now represents Kansas City’s ability to honor its history while continually reinventing itself for new generations.