1988 Redevelopment

Union Station 9

Union Station as it appeared preceding its renovation. Notice the dark markings on the stone facade that were removed during this 1985-1988 work.

Union Station 1980s Plans

Proposed station plan for the redevelopment. Not all of these plans would come to fruition, but the general framework is still in effect. 

Discussed for years on a national and local scale, the federal government decided to redevelop Union Station in 1982 and restore it to be a fully-functioning transportation hub. With funding from the federal government, Amtrak, and D.C., this became a years long project that reintroduced Union Station as a multimodal center of Washington, D.C.

Union Station 1 Union Station 2
Union Station 011 Union Station 025 Union Station 070

Construction photos of Union Station showing the building of the Amtrak waiting atrium that now connects the railyard to the Main Hall. 

Union Station Times Front Page Union Station Times Flyer Union Station Times Newspaper Flier Union Station Reopening Flyer

Above are scans of the publicity newspaper handed out to the public to promote the reopening of Union Station. These four days of festivities included an opening ceremony with the Secretary of the Interior and Mayor of Washington, D.C. speaking. 

More information on the 1988 Reopening and its events can be found on our item page here.

1988 Redevelopment