It’s hard to imagine Union Station as a new building, or to think of Market Street out front as a much narrower thoroughfare than it is today, but both were once true. The train shed was also full carriages, though of course the locomotives stayed outside, due to obvious reasons of not wanting to fill…
Tag: Union Station
From the Vault: Union Station Grand Hall, February 2014
Back in February of 2014, the Grand Hall of Union Station was just starting to undergo its massive renovation into its current incarnation. I snapped some pictures of the public areas. It turns out that some of the original decorative elements had been callously covered up in the 1980s renovation, and they were finding the…
The End of MO-755
Update: The on-ramp above has been permanently removed. The Ewing Avenue Bridge was demolished the last week of February 2021 for replacement. The final exit ramp from westbound Highway 40 to Market Street was closed by the winter of 2022. Readers will probably have two reactions to the discussion of the closure of the five…
Union Station, Framed
I caught this image of Union Station through a break in the old warehouses and office buildings of downtown.
Rusticated Stone
The former Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, built and dedicated between 141-161 AD provides an excellent example of how Western Civilization has responded to its ancient past. After falling into disrepair, it was converted into the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda, strangely occupying the center cella of the old temple. But at one time,…
Meeting of the Waters, Aloe Plaza, Union Station
Ah yes, the “Meeting of the Waters” by Carl Milles in Aloe Plaza; originally it was the “Marriage” but uptight St. Louisans made them change the title. I really like the sculpture group/fountain, because it draws on a long tradition of fountions in Europe, such as the “Diana and Actaeon” fountain at Caserta, outside of…
Union Stations Details, Revisited
Union Station is full of surprises, in the little details such as the coats of arms on this window lintel. Ireland, and perhaps other countries (my heraldry is rusty) appears above. Below, it’s interesting to see the details not eroded like in this earlier photo. Below, what was attached here?
Union Station Train Shed, Revisited
The head house gets a lot of attention, but the simple lines of the train shed is beautiful in its own right, a constant symphony of geometric shapes forming and dissolving as one walks through the space. The train shed for what was once the busiest railroad station in the world still is a work of…
Union Station, Revisited on a Sunny Day
Union Station might be famous for its size and grandeur, but I also like the small details as well, like this swag below. Or look at that little round window hiding inside the larger Roman arch. Do you see it?
Railyards, Union Station
There’s still a fair bit of the remnants of the distant outbuildings of Union Station, down towards the Mill Creek railyards. This maintenance building, now roofless, once sat right where the tracks headed into the station from the main lines. This gigantic crane sits where it was left; I’m glad they chose to preserve it…