Grand Hall

Kansas City's Union Station was built in 1914 during the city's greatest period of growth and expansion. It was built to replace a much smaller and overcrowded train station just a short distance away. When it opened, it was the second largest train station in the country and this was going to be something special...and it was. During the construction of this new mega-train station, many craftsmen and artisans were brought in to give this struction a beauty befitting of its role as a major hub for the nation. At its peak it had 670,000 passengers passing through its gates a year. This image is a view not normally viewed as much at the station. It is an architectual wonder often missed within the rest of the beauty of the building. It is looking up at the ceiling of the Great Hall; the entryway to the nation's past transportation portal.