Chicago Union Station: Architecture
Chicago, IL
Chicago's Union Station opened in 16 May 1925, replacing a station on the same site built in 1881. The Beaux-Arts design was by Daniel Burnham, with completion by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White after Burnham's death. Although construction began in 1913, it was delayed numerous times by World War I and labor issues.
The station opened at the apex of American intercity rail travel, and in a fate similar to that of Penn Station in New York City, Union Station's main concourse was demolished in 1969 and covered with a bland office tower (222 South Riverside), leaving rail passengers to grovel in a claustrophobic basement.
Jackson Boulevard facade (south)
Canal Street facade (east)
Canal Street entrance
Platform
Trainsportation
Rail fans
Train shed
Train shed
Skylight in train shed