After the flood of 1903, Kansas City's original Union Depot in the west bottoms was rebuilt on this site in 1914 as Union Station, which was heralded as one of the most beautiful train stations and the third largest passenger rail station in the country. President Woodrow Wilson called it the gateway to the West. As a 10-level, 900-room, 20-acre complex, it rivaled any in the nation and housed the Fred Harvey business empire while serving hundreds of thousands of passengers each year. In 1917 during World War I, nearly 80,000 trains passed through it, and during World War II an estimated one million travelers, many in uniform, came through. Declining rail passenger service led to its closure in the 1980s, and it stood empty and neglected, narrowly escaping demolition several times. A bi-state initiative passed in 1996 funded its renovation, and when that work was completed in 1999 it became a multi-complex destination reflecting commerce, culture, and entrepreneurship for the community. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and celebrating its centennial in 2014, Union Station continues as a major Kansas City destination, home to Science City, the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium, the Bank of America Exhibition Gallery, the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre, City Stage, Amtrak service, exhibitions, conferences, restaurants, offices, retail, and other attractions that welcome more than two million visitors annually.
