To spot Union Station, look for a large, brick building with a tall, triangular roofline, a round clock right at the top, and a row of flagpoles out front on the corner of S. Jackson Street and 4th Avenue S.
Now, let’s step back in time! Picture this spot on a bustling morning in 1911. The Union Station opens, and the sound of steam locomotives and chattering passengers fills the air. This wasn’t just any old building-it was the new gateway to the great North, built especially for the Union Pacific Railroad and the Milwaukee Road. Back then, this place went by the formal name “Oregon and Washington Station.” I know, not nearly as catchy-like calling your dog “Canine Mammal” instead of Buddy!
The massive brick walls around you once echoed with the footsteps of excited travelers, anxious military men heading to war, and kids waving tickets bigger than their dreams. But things changed quickly. Trains died down, and by 1971, the last passenger train pulled away, leaving Union Station eerily quiet. For nearly 30 years, the station was like your uncle’s attic-mostly empty except for a few odd things, including an antique store in the Great Hall. Ever imagine buying a lamp where crowds once hurried off to new adventures?
But every good station deserves a comeback! In the 1990s, Union Station got a second chance-thanks to a major renovation helped along by Paul Allen, Microsoft’s co-founder, and the imagination of developers. The transformation was stunning, winning awards, and turning the station into Sound Transit’s ultra-cool headquarters. These days, the grand hall is as likely to see wedding cake crumbs as train tickets.
Not just the main building, the “Union Station” name now includes a ring of modern office buildings nearby-built after the original, standing almost like its younger brothers. Rumor has it, these buildings are earthquake-proof, protected by a secret underground band of rubber. It might not be superhero stuff, but it’s pretty close!
By the way, if you want to catch a train now, that happens next door at King Street Station. Under your feet, the International District/Chinatown light rail station links the neighborhood, always buzzing with buses and tracks below street level. And as if it wasn’t busy enough, Union Station itself might soon get a new chapter as a future light rail stop.
Oh, and quick trivia-if you watched “The Man in the High Castle,” you’ve already seen this place dressed up as a Japanese Imperial train station. Not bad for a building that came back to life after half a century of naps!
