St. Louis Missouri – Union Station

During our pre-Thanksgiving stay in St. Louis visiting Laurie’s family, her sister Bonnie and Bonnie’s husband Bill suggested that we visit St. Louis Union Station…and its various sights and attractions.

As I like visiting old railroad depots and taking related photos, I thought that this was a great idea!

Unfortunately, it was a rainy cloudy and cold day.  Such is life.  In any case, I got as far out into the street as I dared and took this photo of the front of Union Depot…now repurposed as the Union Station Hotel.

St. Louis’ Union Station was opened on 9/1/1894 by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis.  This segment of the structure was referred to as the Head House…and it led to the Midway and the 11.5 acre Train Shed.  Some things haven’t changed in that the “Head House” originally did house a hotel and restaurant.  By way of definition, a head house is an enclosed building attached to an open shed.

This Richardsonian Romanesque style structure is massive.  This particular view of Union Station is from the front entrance down the front looking west.  I failed to get a photo of the view looking east…mainly because from my angle I couldn’t capture the full height of the 280 foot clock tower.  The Station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

When Union Depot was built, it was the largest depot in the world that had the tracks and passenger service all on one level.  When it opened, it was the world’s largest and busiest railroad station.

As for the interior waiting room area and lobby, they are truly impressive…just a dazzling and beautiful area with tons of decorative detail to admire.  Heck, even the entrances to the bathrooms are eye-catching!

This view, with the clock and figures mounted on the wall above the arches leading to a dining/event area is just one of many impressive views.  It makes one wonder what small town or farm folks thought when they first arrived in St. Louis by train… It also shows us just how profitable the railways were back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Backing up toward one end of the massive lobby/waiting area, I took this photo showing the massive size of the room… The Grand Hall cost about $6.5 million to build and it was considered to be one of the most beautiful public lobbies in the USA.

We were ready to belly up to this amazing long bar in the Grand Hall…but it wasn’t scheduled to open until late in the afternoon.  Bummer!

The St. Louis Union Station Hotel is part of Hilton Hotel’s Curio Collection and the staff did a very nice job with this magnificent Christmas tree!

The Grand Hall has something to catch your eye no matter where you look.  These stained glass windows over the bar area are really beautiful.

Pass through either one of two arches at one end of the Great Hall and you discover the Hilton’s lobby desk…and this amazing mural stretching across the wall behind the desk.  Actually, this 7 foot tall 28 foot long mural had been lost for decades, and was rediscovered by Union Station’s General Manager during a $66 million remodeling project in 2014. 

The mural was completed in 1942 by artist Louis Grell as part of the Station’s WWII renovation.  It depicts the St. Louis riverfront and trains at the beginning of the twentieth century.  Originally the mural was mounted above the curved 1942 ‘new ticket counter’ in the Station.  To view historic photos, go to https://www.louisgrell.com/artworks/union-station-st-louis-mo-1942/.

Note: If you look closely at the middle of the reception counter you can spot the receptionist ducking down so we could take our photo.  Thanks!

I had to take a photo of this classic mail box/letter drop in the hotel lobby.  They don’t make them like this anymore…nor do most folks mail letters!  Nice detail.

Wow!  Talk about beautiful stained glass windows!  This most impressive feature of the Grand Hall is the “Allegorical Window”.  It’s a hand-made stained glass window with hand-cut Tiffany glass strategically placed above the Station’s main entrance. 

The window features 3 women representing the most important U.S. train stations during the 1890s…New York, St. Louis and San Francisco.  It shows the ‘goddesses’ from New York and San Francisco looking toward St. Louis, as she stares serenely ahead, sure of her exalted place in the world.

FYI…Hilton’s Union Station Hotel has 567 rooms and suites and it has a great location in downtown St. Louis.  The Gateway Arch and Museum, Busch Stadium and the Old Courthouse are within walking distance and the Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Brewery is just a short Uber or taxi ride away.  To learn more about this hotel, you can go to https://www.google.com/search?q=st+louis+station+hotel+curio&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS758US758&oq=St.+Louis+Station&aqs=chrome.1.0l6j69i60l2.14287j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

So I’ll end this post with a photo of this enormous blank space (event space?) that is located between the Union Station Hotel/former depot Head House and the former rail shed.  Much more on the latter will follow in my next post.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave