Washington Union Station

When we left Washington DC on Amtrak we traveled from Washington Union Station.  I've always enjoyed old train stations.  The first one I experienced was Union Station in  Los Angeles, which I visited many times while seeing historic Olvera Street.  After I moved to Northern Kentucky I experienced Union Terminal in Cincinnati where I worked for eleven years.  Washington DC's station is another beautiful old station that has had to adapt after the decline of rail travel.

Washington Union Station is one of the country’s first great union railroad terminals. Designed by renowned architect, Daniel Burnham, the station opened on October 27, 1907 and was completed in April 1908.

During its heyday in the early 1940’s, Union Station was a thriving transportation hub serving up to 42,000 passengers daily. After 1945, conditions deteriorated quickly. The demand on transportation during World War II wore greatly on the station, and repairs were often done inexpensively, diminishing the station’s elegance. Public trends shifted from rail to cars and planes for long-distance travel, which further diminished rail passenger revenues, station activity and the feeling of excitement that once percolated through the building.
--from Union Station website website

We took the Metro over to Union Station and crossed over from the metro area into the main body of the station.  After we found where our train would be leaving later we decided to explore and see what the station had to offer.  We first discovered an area with a number of different shops--I thought this was a rather good thing to add to a trafficked building.

We then headed into the Main Hall of the building.

The East Hall looks even more historic than the Main Hall, something about it really reminded me of the 1930s.

The ceiling of the Main Hall is particularly interesting.

In alcoves you can see a number of statues.

We next headed out the front doors.

When you look up you can see more statues on the outside.

Looking to the side you can see even the entryway is highly decorated.

In front is a replica of the Liberty Bell.

You can also see the US Capitol in the distance.

Turning around we could see the front of the building, which definitely had a grand stone edifice.

Before too long it was time to board our train and head back to Richmond.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about our time at Union Station, if you want to see more pictures of the building open this album.

~Matt