Many cities have Union Stations, but Kansas City’s is particularly beautiful.
The station opened in 1914, an impressive stone edifice accommodating hundreds of thousands of passengers a year.
It was even the site of a massacre – mobster Frank Nash was shot and killed, along with four law enforcement officers who were escorting him, in 1933, just outside the building.
The station was closed down in the 1980’s, and sat empty for years, slowly deteriorating. Then in 1996, voters in Missouri and Kansas passed an initiative to fund the restoration of the beautiful building.
And it’s now an amazing jewel in the city’s crown. Housing several restaurants (including one of our favorites from the trip, Harvey’s), the station also has a museum that’s now hosting an exhibit on Pompeii.
There’s also an ongoing rail exhibit, a planetarium, and an interactive science center.
And you can even still catch a train there – it’s a regular Amtrak stop. You can also catch the city’s new light rail train that runs to and from downtown, just outside the station.
Standing inside, it’s fun to try to imagine what it was like a hundred years ago. From some of the old photos, the two story Harvey’s looks like it was probably the ticket windows. And as you can see from the photo below, the station practically thrummed with life.
If you’re visiting Kansas City, try to find time to see this beautiful station, and grab a bite at Harvey’s.
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