General Services Administration (GSA) to lease Union Station for thirty-five years to provide space for the federal courts. The last passenger train left Union Station on June 14, 1984, and the abandoned building soon fell into disrepair. In 1971 national passenger rail service merged into Amtrak. Railway rider ship peaked in the 1930s and again during World War II, then quickly declined as the automobile became America's preferred mode of transportation. The Tacoma Daily Ledger praised it as "the largest, the most modern and in all ways the most beautiful and best equipped passenger station in the Pacific Northwest."ĭespite optimistic forecasts by the railroad companies early in the century, the future would not be kind to the passenger rail industry. Acclaim for Reed and Stem's design was immediate. In 1906 the architectural firm of Reed and Stem was selected to design a new station more befitting Tacoma's image as a prosperous, thriving metropolis and railway terminus of the Northwest.Ĭonstruction of Union Station began in 1909 and was completed in May 1911. The city's first rail station was built in 1883, then moved to the site of the present Union Station on Pacific Avenue and enlarged in 1892. Its economy expanded rapidly over the next two decades, and its population skyrocketed from just under 2,000 in 1873 to 37,714 in 1890. The city became a center for industrial and commercial development. Tacoma's reputation as the "City of Destiny" began when it was chosen by the Northern Pacific Company in 1873 as the western terminus of the northern route of the transcontinental railroad, then under construction. Courthouse at Union Station is a highly successful adaptive use of a Tacoma landmark. We did not appreciate being misled by security and wondered why all the other people we not diverted. Once we got through the lot and to a sidewalk we could the gate at the Ferris was open and people were still coming through the train shed. It was not exactly ideal and kind of scary. Walking the way were told took us, two older adults, alone, to an completely deserted lot. We thought it odd but did as we were told. Although we noticed other people walking through we were stopped by security and told the gate was locked at 10:00 (it was now 11:30) and we would have to walk around the Polar Express train to another parking lot and then to our hotel. The area was decorated for the Holidays very nicely and we were able to take a few pictures.Ĭoming back from the venue we planned on walking through again to the main gate by the ferris wheel. Walked through the train shed area to get from a close by Hotel to another venue for a concert. There is also an aquarium (located towards the back of the hotel - we thought it was the entrance for the train station!!!), also Landry restaurant where we had a great meal, The Soda fountain where I was looked on with disrespect by the funny big mammas at the entrance paying more attention to their wigs and nails and several other placesĪltogether is a nice place, learn from our mistakes and be as relaxed as you can when you are abused by some people with mental issues who do not know how to look at the bigger picture of the world due to lack of education probably, as is normally the case. the area behind the hotel is centred around a massive pond with koi carp fish you can feed by purchasing over price food in different locations. Union station hotel used to be a station, looks nice from outside and as we got inside we realised the potential it could have been better revealed if it was renovated in London for example (where they done some amazing renovations of equally old buildings or former train stations - I guess is down to money the investors can make, right?) The guy at the entrance advices us, speaking to us over the shoulder, how we can reach, via S 18th Street, the Wheel/restaurants/etc located at the back of the hotel - they can be accessed only via here at this moment in time, although I saw some doors on S 20th street, however they were locked returning from this location by train would mean to the train from the station near the hotel (even locals do not know where it is) so simply descend from near the car park on S 18th street which is off Market street passing in front of Union Station hotel you can surely walk to here from downtown but it was a good 20 minutes walk passing near the baseball stadium, lots of government buildings, small parks etc which I would be scared to walk alone during the day in USA - in Europe I would not be scared due to the 'funny looking people not having guns': that is a reality! My other half wanted to bring me this location as we walked from downtown on a rather hot day, as he wanted to go later to a game, so here are some things you might find helpful, if you are a 'newbie' just like I was:
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