Ultimately, a local firm, Link & Cameron, was awarded the winner. To do so it launched a worldwide design competition with architects from across Europe and the United States submitting proposals. Louis wanted a magnificent station to showcase its growing importance while combining several terminals then in use throughout the city. This growth was thanks largely to its gateway status with so many westbound settlers passing through the city. Louis expanded to the point that it boasted the nation's fourth largest metropolitan region behind only New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Louis (Nickel Plate Road)įollowing the Civil War, a growing St. Louis (the "Big Four" controlled by the New York Central) Iron Mountain & Southern (Missouri Pacific).In addition, many eastern and western trunk lines, or their future subsidiaries, terminated at the city such as: The Transcontinental Railroad had been finished just over 20 years prior and new lines were still being built across the Frontier. Louis found itself in an increasingly important role as " The Gateway To The West" since it lay at the conjunction of the mighty Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It has been a very impressive transformation.īy the last decade of the 19th century St. The shed itself has been converted into an outdoor entertainment venue including an aquarium, mall, and outdoor eating area. Today, the city's light-rail transit service, MetroLink, still serves the station from directly below the train shed within the subway tunnel. The station was completed in the mid-1890s and served in its original role until 1978 when Amtrak's final long-distance passenger train left the magnificent train shed (at one time the station welcomed over 100,000 daily passengers through its doors). However, it is one of our country's largest, constructed during a time when the nation was rapidly expanding westward.įortunately, the building has been beautifully restored and now serves more as an entertainment and shopping venue with museums (including an operating model railroad), plays, restaurants, and tours available (there is even a hotel on the grounds). Louis Union Station (also known by its initials, SLUS), once one of the busiest terminals in the world, no longer serves dozens of inbound and outbound passenger trains heading east and west.
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