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St.
Louis Union Station is considered by many experts to be the grandest and
the most important railway edifice erected before the close of the 19th-century.
Combined with James Eads successful endeavor to span the Mississippi River
with a novel multi-level railway and pedestrian bridge that unimpeded river
traffic, St. Louis Union Station was convincing proof that St. Louis was
at the country's center for transportation in the middle west.
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The
architects, Theodore C. Link and Edward A. Cameron sought to purposely
capture both the solidity and permanence of established European architectural
styles coupled with clever and practical solutions to serve the [then]
modern and thriving world of tractive steam locomotive engines.
The station was completed in 1894.
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A
building of mammoth proportions and elegant ornamental decoration, St.
Louis Union Station was intended to accommodate thousands of travelers
and workers daily. The monumental head house featured numerous amenities
including a luxurious hotel, a saloon, a dining hall, lunch rooms, gender-oriented
lounges, a ticket office, several offices for the Terminal Railroad Association,
and the world's first barrel-vaulted train station concourse, or "Grand
Hall."
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The
St. Louis Union Station train shed was designed by Washington University
graduate George H. Pegram. Due to the enormous span planned for the
St. Louis Union Station train shed, Pegram's patented railroad bridge truss
design proved to be the most practical to fabricate. This resulted
in the world's largest train shed, measuring 700 by 606 feet and supporting
the operation of thirty-two terminating tracks and gates, nineteen miles
of track line, 130 switches, and 103 signals.
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Over
time, as tractive technologies evolved from steam to diesel and to diesel-electric
powered engines, St. Louis Union Station too underwent countless changes.
With the growing popularity of automobiles and aircraft as alternatives
modes of transportation, St. Louis Union Station eventually fell into disuse
by the late 1970's. In 1985, the complex was re-opened as a
modern commercial center with many of its original features preserved.
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