Union Station opened in 1907 as the largest train station in the world, designed by Daniel Burnham as a grand gateway to the nation’s capital. It replaced two competing rail stations that had cluttered the Mall and gave Washington a unified, monumental arrival point for the first time. After decades of decline and a near-demolition in the 1980s, it was restored to its original grandeur. These posts trace the full history of Union Station.
Take a journey back in time and explore Washington D.C.’s iconic landmarks in this 1918 photograph of the “Billy Sunday tabernacle” near Union Station. Can you recognize any of the other landmarks besides the Capitol and Library of Congress?
In 1890, many Washingtonians wanted to keep the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station at 6th and B Streets NW, where President Garfield was shot in 1881.
A photograph from 1977 shows Union Station in Washington, DC before its restoration, when the surrounding area was far less developed.
A look back in time to 1938 when Ford debuted its new brand, Mercury. Check out the amazing photo of the two cars side-by-side at Washington D.C.’s Union Station and the stylish men dressed up for the occasion.
Take a look at Union Station in 1910! This picture shows the impressive sight of the railroad station several years after it was completed. See the impressive photo here!
Carl Mydans photographed these row houses near Union Station in September 1935. Water collected out front after a rain and stayed for many days.
In 1903 a blue-inked overlay on a real estate atlas of Washington DC marked the Swampoodle neighborhood for demolition. Union Station erased it by 1908.
Images from the Washington Times on April 29, 1912, showing workers placing the veiled Christopher Columbus statue at Union Station Plaza.
On January 15, 1953, a Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive plowed through the bumper at Union Station and ended up in the basement. Eisenhower’s inauguration was five days away. No one died.
