Category: Union Station Timeline

On August 23 a 5.8 Magnitude earthquake does major damage to station and many other buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C., including the Washington monument. 

Union Station reopened its doors with a gala celebration after 7 years of restoration. A public-private partnership funded the $160 million effort to preserve the

Congress passed legislation to convert the station into a festival mall and transportation center, including the addition of a new railroad terminal to the north

Union Station became the National Visitor Center, an attempt to create a central place for tourists to orient themselves to the capital. It closed in

February 11, 1964 The Beatles arrived at Union Station from New York City to perform their first North American concert at Uline Arena (Washington Coliseum), just

1953 On January 15th a runaway train (with failed brakes) called the Federal Express from Boston pulled by GG-1 No. 4876  crashed through the platform area and into the

1942-1945 The all-out effort for World War II meant the station handled as many as 200,000 people in twenty-four hours. Parade magazine said that the building held

1939 President Franklin Roosevelt welcomed King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Washington in the station’s State Reception Room.

1917-1918 The station became a center of American efforts during World War I, moving deploying soldiers to ships bound for Europe and civilians to the