Union Station, Denver

Date built:	1880, 1894, 1914
Date first opened:	July 1881
Architects:	A. Taylor/Van Brundt & Howe
Original Owners:	Union Depot & Railway Company
Current Owners:	Trillium Corporation Union Pacific Railroad Broe Companies
Peak period:	1916 to 1956
Present Use:	Intermodal passenger station
Pictures:	Denver Union Station photo gallery

Building overview:

First opened in 1881, Union Station was four blocks from the main business district of Denver. The station was built there to make train travel an easier experience. The building is built from volcanic stone and pink sandstone, quarried from nearby Castle Rock and Morrison, giving it an Italian Romaneque structure.

In 1894, a fire swept through the station, destroying the second floor on the southwest wing, and the original clock tower. It was reconstructed with two flat-roofed wings. Due to increased passenger business, a larger waiting room was completed in 1914.

At its peak, from 1916 to 1956, Union Station served as many as eighty trains a day. Today, it serves just two daily Amtrak trains, the American Orient Express, a seasonal ski train, and other specials. A light rail connection is also now complete, and in operation.