Union Station - Seattle, Washington
N 47° 35.940 W 122° 19.707
10T E 550481 N 5271950
After nearly 30 years of dormancy, Union Station is rescued and restored to its former glory, even without trains.
Waymark Code: WM3F4B
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/26/2008
Views: 95
In an impressive show of public-private cooperation, the citizens of Seattle have their amazing architectural show piece restored in exchange for land to build office buildings. Paul Allen, through his Vulcan Inc. development firm, used the land once occupied by the station tracks to construct several modern office buildings. In return, he restored the Station to an immaculate condition.
Transcribed from a plaque on the front wall of the building:
Restored and rededicated by Sound Transit on October 16, 1999 to link the past and future of public transportation and serve the entire Central Puget Sound community. Union Station served as the Seattle passenger terminal for the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, Union Pacific Railroad, and Milwaukee Road lines from 1911 to 1971. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1974, and is included in the City of Seattle's International Special Review District and Pioneer Square Preservation District. Union Station was restored and adapted in 1999 to serve as the headquarters of Sound Transit - the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority - and hub for its regional system, in cooperation with Union Station Associates. The project was made possible by the vision and tax dollars of the citizens of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, who approved development of a new regional transit system in 1996.
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?:
Headquarters for Sound Transit.
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, Union Pacific Railroad, and Milwaukee Road lines
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.