One of several great American train stations named "Union Station", this beauty was designed by Daniel H. Burnham (who also designed the ones in Chicago and El Paso) and opened in 1908 - proof that these things were built to last over a century. It's true that part of the ceiling collapsed in 1981, but this was actually a blessing since the government rallied to fund a full restoration with updates and the addition of a retail complex. There's also a relatively decent selection of food here for travelers. An interesting side note - in honor of the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, part of the station was used to make a National Visitor Center, but it never got much use and was closed in 1978.
That is too bad (quite sad) that the visitor center didn't get much use and had to close.
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