Union Depot era On April 8, 1878, Union Depot opened on a narrow triangle of land in Kansas City, Missouri, between Union Avenue and the railroad tracks of the
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in what became
West Bottoms. Nicknamed the "Jackson County Insane Asylum" by those who thought it was too large. It was the second
union station in the country, led the city and the railroads to decide a new station was required.
Union Station era site. The decision to build a new station was spearheaded by the
Kansas City Terminal Railway, a
switching and terminal railroad that was a joint operation of several railroads:
Alton;
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe;
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy;
Chicago Great Western;
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific;
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific;
Kansas City Southern;
Missouri-Kansas-Texas;
Missouri Pacific;
St. Louis-San Francisco;
Union Pacific; and
Wabash. The new location was at a valley at 25th Street and Grand Avenue used by the Kansas City Belt Railway. It was south of the
central business district, above and away from the
floodplain. The
Beaux-Arts architecture design was a main hall for ticketing, and a perpendicular hall extending out above the tracks for passenger waiting. The building encompassed and the ceiling in the Grand Hall is high. There are three chandeliers weighing 3,500 pounds (1600 kg) each, and the Grand Hall clock face is in diameter.
Kansas City massacre The
Kansas City massacre occurred on June 17, 1933, in front of Union Station, while captured fugitive
Frank Nash was to be delivered to prison via train. Four lawmen (including
FBI) were murdered by the
Kansas City crime family with
Thompson submachine guns in an attempt to free Nash, who was also killed in the gun battle. The massacre highlighted the lawlessness of Kansas City under the
Pendergast Machine and resulted in the
arming of all FBI agents. Between 1979 and 1986, Trizec constructed two office buildings on surrounding property, but did not redevelop the station. The deteriorating station closed in 1983, except a "bubble" inside the main hall housing Amtrak's operations until 1985, when all passenger operations were moved to a smaller "
Amshack" facility adjacent to the old station. In 1988, the city sued Trizec for the failure to develop the station and settled in 1994. part of which helped to fund just under half of the $250 million restoration of Union Station. Union Station hosts
Science City (opened in 1999), a family-friendly interactive science center with more than 50 hands-on exhibits; the H&R Block City Stage Theater, a live-action venue with productions for all ages; the Regnier Extreme Screen, the largest movie screen in the region at five and half stories tall; two restaurants, including Pierponts, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant, and Harvey's; many shops; the Gottlieb Planetarium, the largest
planetarium in the area; and various temporary museum exhibits including
Dead Sea Scrolls in 2007,
Bodies Revealed in 2008,
Dialog in the Dark in 2009,
Dinosaurs Unearthed in 2010 and
Diana, A Celebration focusing upon
Princess Diana in 2011. The
Irish Museum and Cultural Center has been located in the station since March 17, 2007. The old Union Station Powerhouse building was renovated by the
Kansas City Ballet. It is the ballet's new home and has been named the
Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity since August 2011.
Notable events In April 2015 and 2017, the reality TV show
American Ninja Warrior was filmed at Union Station. The
2023 NFL draft was held in front of, and partially inside, Union Station in April 2023.
2024 parade shooting On February 14, 2024, a
mass shooting occurred in front of Union Station immediately after the
Super Bowl LVIII victory parade and rally honoring the
Kansas City Chiefs. One person was killed and 22 others were injured. ==Amtrak==