The Old Union Station Depot ~and~ The Union Passenger Terminal |
The Union Passenger Terminal is pictured above, in about 1954, shortly after it was constructed. |
The old Union Station Depot and Park, on South Rampart Street, opened its doors in 1892. It was designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan - the only train station he ever designed. Sullivan's draftsman at the time, Frank Lloyd Wright, also, worked on the project. Initially, it was used by the Illinois Central Railroad, but, eventually, several other lines used the station, as well. At the time, New Orleans had several separate railway stations: the TX Pacific RR-MO Pacific RR Station on Annunciation Street; the Southern Railway Terminal on Canal Street; the Louisville & Nashville RR Station on Canal Street; and the LA & AR-Kansas City Southern RR Station on Rampart Street. Union Station was demolished in 1954. |
Union Station, 1892 |
Union Station Park, 1906 |
Union Station, 1920 |
Side by Side: The new terminal under construction, with Union Station next to it, still in use. Demolition began on the old station on the day the first train pulled into the new one. |
When the new Union Passenger Terminal opened its doors, it was proclaimed one of the most modern railroad stations in the country and, at the time, the only air-conditioned station in the country. It was the only municipally-owned railroad station in the U.S. The Union Passenger Terminal replaced all of the five separate depots which had served the city up until that time. Part of the station's property is situated over what was once the turning basin for the New Basin Canal. The lead track follows the path of the canal (which was filled in in the 1940's). Today, the terminal is the major Southern hub for Amtrak. In the 1970's, Greyhound LInes built a bus terminal on the property and continues to share the site with Amtrak. |
The Sunset Limited, from the west coast, pulls into New Orleans' Union Passenger Terminal on January 8, 1954, the first train to arrive at the new facility. A few minutes later, the Panama Limited, the first to depart, left the station, bound for Chicago. |
Union Passenger Terminal, early 1960's |
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