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Kansas City Union Station

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Kansas City Union Station (station code: KCY) is a union station that opened in 1914, serving Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding metropolitan area. It replaced a small Union Depot built in 1878. Union Station served a peak annual traffic of more than 670,000 passengers in 1945 at the end of World War II, but traffic quickly declined in the 1950s, and the station was closed in 1985.

Union Station
General information
Location30 West Pershing Road
Kansas City, Missouri
Coordinates39°05′05″N 94°35′07″W / 39.0848°N 94.5853°W / 39.0848; -94.5853
Owned byUnion Station Assistance Corporation
Line(s)Kansas City Terminal Railway
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks4
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: KCY
Websiteunionstation.org
History
OpenedOctober 30, 1914; 110 years ago (October 30, 1914)
Closed1983 (except Amtrak Bubble) 1985 (Entire station closed)
RebuiltNovember 10, 1999 (with Science City);
2002 (Amtrak service resumed)
Previous namesUnion Depot (April 8, 1878–October 31, 1914), West Bottoms
Passengers
FY 2023127,044[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Missouri River Runner Independence
toward St. Louis
Lawrence
toward Los Angeles
 Southwest Chief La Plata
toward Chicago
Preceding station KC Streetcar Following station
Terminus KC Streetcar Crossroads
toward River Market North
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Lawrence
toward Dallas or Houston
 Lone Star Carrollton
toward Chicago
Terminus National Limited Warrensburg
toward New York or Washington, D.C.
Preceding station Alton Railroad Following station
Terminus Kansas City – St. Louis Independence
toward St. Louis
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Kansas City, Kansas
toward Los Angeles
 Main Line Sheffield
toward Chicago
Preceding station Burlington Route Following station
Terminus Kansas City – Galesburg North Kansas City
toward Galesburg
Parkville, MO
toward Omaha
 Omaha – Kansas City Terminus
Terminus Kansas City – St. Louis North Kansas City
toward St. Louis
Kansas City – Quincy North Kansas City
toward Quincy
Preceding station Chicago Great Western Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Beverly
toward Minneapolis
Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station
North Topeka
toward Teague
 Teague – Minneapolis  Harlem
toward Minneapolis
North Topeka
toward Tucumcari
 Tucumcari – Rock Island Harlem
toward Rock Island
Kansas City, Kansas
toward Belleville
 Kansas City – Belleville Terminus
Terminus Kansas City – St. Louis Sheffield
toward St. Louis
Preceding station St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Following station
Terminus Kansas City – Birmingham Rosedale
toward Birmingham
Preceding station Kansas City Southern Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Grandview
toward Port Arthur
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Terminus Kansas City – Savanna Liberty
towards Savanna
Preceding station Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad Following station
Terminus Kansas City – Parsons Paola
toward Parsons
Preceding station Missouri Pacific Railroad Following station
Terminus Main Line Independence
toward St. Louis
Centropolis
toward Pueblo
 Pueblo – Kansas City Terminus
Pomeroy
toward Omaha
 Omaha – Kansas City
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Topeka
toward Denver
 Kansas Pacific Railway Terminus
Preceding station Wabash Railroad Following station
Terminus Main Line North Kansas City
toward Chicago
Future services (2025)
Preceding station KC Streetcar Following station
WWI Museum & Memorial
toward UMKC
 KC Streetcar Crossroads
toward Riverfront Drive
Union Station
Map
LocationPershing Rd. and Main St., Kansas City, Missouri
Area20.2 acres (8.2 ha)
Built1901
ArchitectJarvis Hunt
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.72000719[2]
Added to NRHPFebruary 1, 1972

In 1996, a public–private partnership undertook a $250 million restoration, funded in part by a sales tax levied in Kansas and Missouri counties of the Kansas City metropolitan area.[3] By 1999, the station had reopened as a suite of attractions, including museums. In 2002, train service returned when Amtrak began public transportation services, and the station became Missouri's second-busiest train station. The refurbished station has theaters, ongoing museum exhibits, and attractions such as Science City, the Irish Museum and Cultural Center, and the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity. Since 2016, it has been a stop for the KC Streetcar.

History

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Union Depot era

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Union Depot, c. 1880

On April 8, 1878, Union Depot opened on a narrow triangle of land in Kansas City, Missouri, between Union Avenue and the railroad tracks of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in what became West Bottoms.[4][5] Nicknamed the "Jackson County Insane Asylum" by those who thought it was too large. It was the second union station in the country,[5] after the Indianapolis Union Station. Union Depot's architecture was a hybrid of Second Empire and Gothic Revival. The lead architect was Asa Beebe Cross, who "adorned the exterior of the building with intricate towers of varying heights, arched windows framed in stone and rows of dormers projecting from the steeply pitched mansard roof".[5] It had a clock tower above the main entrance that was 125 feet (38 m) in height. By the 20th century, over 180 trains were passing daily through the station, serving a city population that had tripled.[5] In 1903, the lack of room for expansion and a major flood[6] led the city and the railroads to decide a new station was required.

Union Station era

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A large crowd gathered in front of Union Station for the 1921 dedication of the Liberty Memorial site.

The decision to build a new station was spearheaded by the Kansas City Terminal Railway, a switching and terminal railroad that was a joint operation of several railroads: Alton; Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; Chicago Great Western; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific; Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific; Kansas City Southern; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; St. Louis-San Francisco; Union Pacific; and Wabash.

The new location was at a valley at 25th Street and Grand Avenue used by the Kansas City Belt Railway. It was south of the central business district, above and away from the floodplain.[5] Architect Jarvis Hunt was a proponent of the City Beautiful movement.[7] The Beaux-Arts architecture design was a main hall for ticketing, and a perpendicular hall extending out above the tracks for passenger waiting. The building encompassed 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2) and the ceiling in the Grand Hall is 95 feet (29 m) high. There are three chandeliers weighing 3,500 pounds (1600 kg) each, and the Grand Hall clock face is 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter.[8] The building's scale reflects Kansas City's central location as a hub for both passenger and freight rail traffic.[citation needed]

The station opened on October 30, 1914, as the third-largest train station in the country.[8]

Kansas City massacre

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Main article: Kansas City massacre

The Kansas City massacre occurred on June 17, 1933, in front of Union Station, while captured fugitive Frank Nash was to be delivered to prison via train. Four lawmen (including FBI) were murdered by the Kansas City crime family with Tompson submachine guns in an attempt to free Nash,[9] who was also killed in the gun battle. The massacre highlighted the lawlessness of Kansas City under the Pendergast Machine and resulted in the arming of all FBI agents.[9]

Decline of train traffic

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In 1945, annual passenger traffic peaked at 678,363. The demand for a large train station declined in the 1950s. In 1973, it had 32,842 passengers, all passenger train service was now run by Amtrak, and the building was deteriorating. Kansas City government wanted to preserve and redevelop the building, and, in 1974, made a development deal with Canadian redeveloper Trizec Corporation.[10] Between 1979 and 1986, Trizec constructed two office buildings on surrounding property, but did not redevelop the station. The deteriorating station closed in 1983, except a "bubble" inside the main hall housing Amtrak's operations until 1985, when all passenger operations were moved to a smaller "Amshack" facility adjacent to the old station. In 1988, the city sued Trizec for the failure to develop the station and settled in 1994.[10] For most of this period, the building continued to decay.

Restoration

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Fountains are in the street in front of Union Station (2012).
 
The Grand Hall is inside the entrance (2011).
 
The Grand Plaza or North Waiting Room is beyond the Grand Hall (2011).

In 1996, residents in five counties throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area in both Kansas and Missouri approved the so-called "bistate tax", a 1/8 of a cent sales tax,[11] part of which helped to fund just under half of the $250 million restoration of Union Station.[10] Renovation began in 1997 and was completed in 1999. The remaining money was raised through private donations and federal funding. The renovations enabled Amtrak to move its operations back inside the main building in 2002.

Union Station receives no public funding. Operating costs are funded by general admission and theater ticketing, grants, corporate and private donations, commercial space leases, and facility rental. Union Station Kansas City, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, manages Union Station and had previously managed the Kansas City Museum.[12] Union Station hosts Science City (opened in 1999), a family-friendly interactive science center with more than 50 hands-on exhibits;[13] the H&R Block City Stage Theater, a live-action venue with productions for all ages; the Regnier Extreme Screen, the largest movie screen in the region at five and half stories tall; two restaurants, including Pierponts, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant, and Harvey's; many shops; the Gottlieb Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the area; and various temporary museum exhibits including Dead Sea Scrolls in 2007, Bodies Revealed in 2008, Dialog in the Dark in 2009, Dinosaurs Unearthed in 2010 and Diana, A Celebration focusing upon Princess Diana in 2011. The Irish Museum and Cultural Center has been located in the station since March 17, 2007.[14]

The old Union Station Powerhouse building was renovated by the Kansas City Ballet. It is the ballet's new home and has been named the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity since August 2011.[15]

Notable events

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In April 2015 and 2017, the reality TV show American Ninja Warrior was filmed at Union Station.[16][17]

The 2023 NFL draft was held in front of, and partially inside, Union Station in April 2023.

2024 parade shooting

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Main article: 2024 Kansas City parade shooting

On February 14, 2024, another mass shooting occurred in front of Union Station immediately after the Super Bowl LVIII victory parade and rally honoring the Kansas City Chiefs. One person was killed and 22 others were injured.[18]

Amtrak

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The station is served by four Amtrak trains daily. The Missouri River Runner has round trip service to Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis. The Southwest Chief departs for Chicago Union Station in the morning and for Los Angeles Union Station late evening.

Of the twelve Missouri stations served by Amtrak, Kansas City was the second busiest in the 2015 fiscal year, boarding or disembarking an average 421 passengers daily.[19]

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  •  
    A typical crowd in the Grand Hall of the new Union Station, c. 1950s
  •  
    Norfolk and Western's City of St. Louis at Union Station in 1967
  •  
    Loading platform, 1974

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Missouri" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ "Audit: Bistate Commission spent tax money properly". Kansas City Business Journal. August 26, 2002. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  4. ^ 39°06′12″N 94°35′48″W / 39.103237°N 94.5966428°W / 39.103237; -94.5966428 (Location of the former Union Depot, Kansas City, MO)
  5. ^ a b c d e Ford, Susan Jezak (1999). "Union Avenue completed 1878, demolished 1915" (PDF). Missouri Valley Special Collections. Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  6. ^ "Flood of 1903". Kansapedia. Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "Jarvis Hunt, architect". University of Illinois at Chicago. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "12 grand Amtrak train stations and their histories". USA Today. May 26, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Silvey, Jennifer (June 16, 2019). "86 years later, a dark day in Kansas City remembered". WDAF-TV. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Timeline". Kansas City Union Station. 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  11. ^ "Bi-State Commission". Mid-America Regional Council. 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  12. ^ "Union Station Kansas City, Inc". Propublica. May 9, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Science City takes important steps to woo more young visitors". The Kansas City Star. October 1, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  14. ^ Roberts, Rob (September 2, 2016). "KC Irish Center buys a new home: historic Drexel Hall". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  15. ^ "A brief history of the Bolender Center". 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Engle, Tim (March 10, 2015). "NBC's 'American Ninja Warrior' will film at Union Station in April". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  17. ^ "At Union Station Monday Night: They Came, They Saw, They Ninja'd (And Got Soaked)". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  18. ^ Powell, Tori B.; Hammond, Elise; Chowdbury, Maureen (February 14, 2024). "Live updates: Chiefs Super Bowl rally shooting leaves one dead and multiple injured". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2015, State of Missouri" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
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