Since the station’s refurbishment, Christmas at the station has become a local ritual.
A walkway was also built connecting the station with the Hall’s Crown Center, Legoland, Sealife Aquarium and several midtown hotels. The station also contains an IMAX screen, exhibition space, and a live theater.
A new science museum “Science City” also opened in the western half of the station and quickly became a major attraction. The city passed a bi-state initiative with neighboring Kansas as well as private investment to fix and refurbish the station. The building started to deteriorate and became an eyesore. In time, the station began to fall into disuse and eventually in the 1980’s Union Station closed completely. The Station is massive, and as rail passengers continued to decline, the lack of people in the waiting areas only became too obvious. Awash in dangling light, the waiting area features the toy train exhibit, Santa’s workshop and miniature train kids can ride. As air travel began to surpass rail in the 1950s and 60’s, the station started to decline in use until the mid 70’s when only three trains a week would stop in Kansas City. The great Hall features this grand Christmas tree.Īt the station’s peak year of 1945 over six hundred thousand people moved through the terminal. (Only New York’s grand central Station was more massive.) During both World Wars, the station was major crossroad due to the city’s location in the center of the country, both for soldiers leaving to and returning from the European theater. At the time of its construction, the station was the second largest terminal in the nation. Kansas City’s Union Station was built in 1914 to replace the prior rail station that had been destroyed in flood. Here the station is lit up in “Christmas Colors.” Red when the chief’s football team plays or Blue for the KC Royal’s Baseball team, and even green for st. The station is often lit up in colored lights.
UNION STATION CHRISTMAS SERIES
This FREE live music series will run weekly on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer.
UNION STATION CHRISTMAS PLUS
Plus we’ll talk a little about the history of this local landmark. 5:00 PM Denver Union Station continues its popular Great Hall Sessions in partnership with Youth On Record, featuring young local musicians on the rise. We are exploring Kansas City’s Union Station and the annual toy train exhibit and the Happy Holidays! Hope everyone is having an enjoyable Christmas Day.
0 kommentar(er)
