12 of the Best and Most Beautiful Train Stations in the U.S.
All Aboard! Beautiful Train Stations in the USA
There was a time when railroads ruled travel in the United States. The golden age of railroad travel lasted about 100 years, roughly from the 1830s to the 1930s. During this gilded age of rail travel, major rail lines commissioned prestigious architectural firms to design opulent stations. The railroad station was recognized as a valuable means of enticing passengers to take a train for whatever reason. As such, America has some of the most beautiful and best train stations and here are some of Tours of Distinction’s favorites.
Travel by train fell out of favor after World War II with the rise of the automobile. Today, America’s historic railroad stations are much more than pretty facades. They are not mere transportation hubs, some of them house museums, entertainment venues, restaurants, and much more making them worth a visit even if you are not hopping a train.
Portland, Oregon | Union Station
Designed by Van Brunt and Howe Architects and completed in 1896, in the Romanesque Revival Style, this station is the oldest major passenger train terminal still in operation on the West Coast. The centerpiece of this station is the 150-foot clock tower with its four-sided Seth Thomas clock from Thomaston, Connecticut. It is known for its glowing neon sign encouraging people to “Go By Train.” The ornate hand-painted flower ceilings and the 1920s era phone booths add a nostalgic air.
Los Angles, California | Union Station
Designed by the father-son team, John and Donald Parkinson, and built-in 1939, this station is an innovative blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Art Deco styles, now referred to as Mission Moderne. It is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States and is regarded as one of the “the last of the great train stations.” The ticket counter is a classic, made of American Black Walnut, and the waiting room with its spectacular wood inlaid ceiling features a series of large 40-foot windows inlaid with brass. There are magnificent art deco chandeliers, hand-painted terra cotta mission tiles inlaid with marble, and a clock tower that looms 100 feet above the city. There are changing art exhibits and a full-service restaurant, a lively brewpub, and a Mexican grill. The Station was featured in Blade Runner, The Big Bang Theory, Catch Me If You Can, and Hail Caesar.
San Antonio, Texas | ESPEE
Nestled in the heart of San Antonio, this station was constructed in 1902 in the Spanish Mission Revival style. It was originally named after the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Sunset Limited train route. Locally it was known as the SP, or Sunset Station. Its’ most distinctive feature was a 16-foot-wide rose window over the main entrance that was influenced by the San Jose Mission. Of the three major stations in San Antonio, this is the only one left standing! Today, the station no longer offers rail service. The good news is that in 2020, the station got a new name, ESPEE, a makeover, and is currently used as a live music and event venue.
Denver, Colorado | Union Station
When it was completed in 1881, Denver’s Union Station was the largest structure in the West that consisted of more than one million miles of track by 1900. The station was damaged by fire and, in 1914 the central portion of the station was rebuilt in the Romanesque style with a tall clock tower. Located in the heart of downtown Denver, today the station is home to ten chef-owned restaurants and bars, and the 112 room Crawford Hotel. It is also the transportation hub for the Mile High City.
Kansas City, Missouri | Union Station
Opened in 1914, it was once the second-largest railroad station in the country. It was designed by Asa Beene Cross in the Gothic Revival Style. The building has intricate towers, arched windows framed in stone, and a steeply pitched mansard roof. The inside of the station is embellished with ornate decorations on walls and on the coffered ceilings. The Grand Hall is 95 feet high and has three chandeliers weighing 3,500 pounds each and a grand clock whose face is six feet across. In addition to being a transportation hub, it is home to a science museum, planetarium, IMAX, live theaters, restaurants, bars, and shops.
New Orleans, Louisiana | Passenger Terminal
A newcomer on the scene, this terminal built in the Mid-century Modern style opened in 1954. At the time, it was the only air-conditioned station in the country. One of the most striking things to see at the terminal is the 2,166 square foot mural that shows 400 years of New Orleans history. The work is split into four segments, exploration, colonization, struggle, and modern life, making a visit here a way to get in touch with the history of this fascinating city. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a portion of the terminal served as a temporary jail!
Richmond, Virginia | Main Street Station
Constructed in the ornate Second Renaissance Revival style and opened in 1901, this station became the most visible landmark in the city. It was closed in 1975 due to the decline in rail service and reopened in 2003 with extensive renovations and the return of passenger service. A grand staircase welcomes passengers to the station and a Pompeian brick body rests above, seven bays wide with terra cotta accentuations. There are Corinthian capital columns and carved roses on the arches around the windows that embellish the steeply pitched red clay tile roof. Even today, this bright red-orange building is hard to miss and quite grand. In addition to being a transportation hub, it is an event venue and houses a gallery and tourist information center.
Washington, DC | Union Station
Designed by renowned architect, Daniel Burnham, the station was completed in 1908 and is considered to be one of the best examples of the Beaux-Arts aesthetic. At the station’s main entrance visitors are greeted by six limestone sculptures of Greek gods, titans, and sages: Apollo, Archimedes, Ceres, Prometheus, Thales, and Themis. The station is modeled after Rome’s Arch of Constantine to reinforce the symbolism of the station as a gateway to the city. Massive in scale, the station covered more ground than any other building in the country at the time, 200 acres with 75 miles of tracks. The Waiting Room has a gold-leafed barrel-vaulted ceiling that towers 96 feet above the floor, its 626-foot long loggia, and rows of vaulted bays are accentuated by pendant lights. Today the station services 30,000 people a day and more than 5.2 million people a year. Visitors can shop, dine and attend events at this elegant transportation hub.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 30th Street Station
The interior Art Deco architecture of this station adds a touch of old-world elegance to this magnificent station built by the successor firm to Burnham and Company, which opened in 1933. One of the most notable station features is the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, a 28-foot bronze sculpture of Michael the Archangel cradling a fallen soldier. It pays tribute to the more than 1,300 railroad employees who died during World War II. The exterior of the station is Neoclassical featuring 71-foot high Corinthian columns that form impressive porticoes on the east and west facades made of Alabama limestone. This station is Amtrak’s busiest hub and is one of the few stations in the country where trains arrive and depart from all four directions. In 2014, the U.S. Congress passed a law to rename what was then the 30th Street Station in honor of former U.S. Representative William Herbert Gray III, who represented Pennsylvania in Congress from 1979 to 1991.
New York, New York | Grand Central
America’s grandest train station opened its doors to the public in 1913, after ten years of construction. It was billed as the first stair-less station, one in which passengers walked on gently sloping ramps from 32 upper levels and 17 lower level platforms fed from 66 tracks. The main concourse is 275 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 125 feet high and is flanked by glass walkways and 90 foot high transparent walls. The concave ceiling is a centerpiece that creates a view of the heavens from Aquarius to Cancer in an October sky with 2,500 stars, 59 of them illuminated and intersected by golden bands representing the equator. Windows are embellished with artwork depicting transportation. It is hard to believe that in the 1960s this edifice was almost demolished. Thanks to preservation advocates like Jackie Kennedy Onassis and others the building was saved and restored to its full glory in the 1990s. The Grand Central Market, a European-styled gourmet shopping experience is located in the Main Concourse. The Food Court is located below the Main Concourse. Just up the ramp from the Food Court is the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant. There are also more than 65 stores in the terminal that include big-name brands.
Boston, Massachusetts | South Station
Constructed of pink New England granite in the Neoclassical Revival style, the first train left this station for Newport, Rhode Island on January 1, 1899. Inside there are coffered ceilings, arched windows, and marble mosaic floors. Outside, the building is lined with Ionic columns. The curved facade is topped by a clock with a 12-foot face modeled after Big Ben that provides a perch for an eight-ton granite eagle. Today, South Station serves as a rail hub for trains from across New England.
Chicago, Illinois | Union Station
Conceptualized and started by architect Daniel Burnham who did not live to see the station completed, construction was taken over by Anderson, Probst, and White. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, a favorite style of Burnham, it opened its doors in 1925 after ten years of construction. The main attraction is the Great Hall with its barrel-vaulted skylight that soars 115 above the floor. Long oak benches and chandeliers decorated with birds, bees, butterflies, and flowers still greet passengers today. It is the third busiest station in the United States behind Grand Central and Penn Station, both in New York. There are restaurants, shops, and private event spaces.
Ride the Rails with Tours of Distinction!
If this has gotten you in the mood for train travel, Tours of Distinction offers several scenic train rides that will take you through a variety of countryside and cities.
On our West Virginia Railroad Adventure, you will ride the Potomac Eagle Railway to spot eagles. Another highlight of this tour is to ride the Cass Scenic Railway goes past some of West Virginia’s most stunning scenery.
In New Hampshire, we are offering two scenic train rides. The first is the festive Turkey Train that gives you glimpses of Lake Winnipesaukee, and the second is the Apple Cider Express that takes you past the spectacular scenery of Mount Washington Valley.
Our Canadian Rockies by Train escorted tour traverses the dramatic beauty of the Canadian Rockies with snow-covered mountain peaks, crystal-clear lakes, and plenty of wildlife along the way.