Union Station, Washington
Before airports took over travel, Union Station was DC’s grand entrance. Presidents rolled in on private trains. WWII troops shipped out through its arches.
And even today, beneath the restored gold ceiling and shops, it moves 100,000 people daily between Capitol Hill and everywhere else. Today’s Union Station is also packed with amazing things to do, and it’s now as much as a destination itself.
You can walk beneath real gold on the ceiling
When you look up in the main hall, you’re seeing 120,000 sheets of 23-karat gold leaf. They put this gold up during the 2016 restoration, replacing the old 22-karat gold.
This upgrade means the gold will last over 75 years instead of just 35. The American Express Foundation paid $350,000 for this golden makeover.
The gold covers octagonal coffers with egg-and-dart designs, all 96 feet above your head. If you look closely, you’ll notice the diamond-shaped openings between sections actually let air flow through.
The Roman statues were originally completely naked
If you look up at the 36 Roman soldiers around the main hall, they’ve got an interesting history. Louis Saint-Gaudens made these plaster guys starting in 1906, and workers installed them in 1913. Here’s the surprising part – he first made them totally nude!
This caused such an uproar that they had to add shields for modesty. But if you look carefully, you can still see the anatomically correct details behind those shields. In 2019, these statues got their first deep cleaning in 30 years, which cost $1.2 million.
You’ll find a perfect copy of the White House Oval Office
Want to see what the Oval Office is like? Check out the Presidential Suite, which is shaped just like the real thing and even has a copy of the presidential eagle. They built it in 1909 for President Taft after President Garfield was killed at the old train station in 1881.
During World War II, it became a USO canteen serving 6.5 million military members. Later in 1951, President Truman made it a permanent USO lounge.
The walls have a special paint job that makes them look like leather and mahogany.
Ancient Roman bathhouses inspired the whole design
When you stand in the main hall, you’re in a space that’s exactly 120 feet by 219 feet – the same size as the ancient Baths of Diocletian in Rome.
The architect, Daniel Burnham, chose this design because Roman baths, like train stations, needed to handle big crowds moving around all the time.
You’ll see 255 octagonal coffers and big arching vaults that cross each other. The whole building cost $25 million back in 1908 (that’s about $750 million today) and used stone from quarries that had never been used before.
You’ll notice something odd about the clock’s numbers
Look at the big clock in the Main Hall and you’ll spot something weird – it shows “IIII” instead of “IV” for the number four. This old-fashioned way of writing four, called the “watchmaker’s four,” makes the clock face look more balanced against the “VIII” on the other side.
The clock is 5 feet across and framed in solid mahogany wood. The E. Howard Clock Company from Boston made it in 1907, and it’s been keeping time for over 115 years. During the 1988 renovation, they changed it from mechanical to electric.
You can see before-and-after restoration samples
If you visit the eastern end of the main hall, look for a small display case that most people miss. It shows pieces of the ceiling before and after restoration, so you can see the difference.
You’ll also find original air diffuser pieces and construction items from 1907.
They put this display in after the big 2016 restoration project, which took 4 years following damage from a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia in 2011.
During that work, they installed a completely new steel support system behind the ceiling. Fewer than 5% of visitors ever notice this interesting exhibit.
Movie theaters once filled the space where you now eat
When you grab food in the lower-level food court, you’re standing where people once watched movies.
From 1988 to 2009, Union Station 9 cinema operated here, with each theater named after an old DC movie palace: the Capitol, Palace, Orpheum, Avenue Grand, Penn, Roxy, Paradise, State, and Tivoli.
These theaters showed big films like Star Trek VI with THX sound and had the area’s first digital 8-channel audio system. In 2012, they converted it all to dining options, but you can still see the original arches with train track numbers where trains once arrived.
Artists copied ancient Pompeii designs on the walls
When you visit the East Hall and Columbus Club, check out the colorful wall designs showing fish, fruit, griffins, and geometric patterns. Artists created these using the same stenciling techniques Romans used in the 1st century AD.
In 1907, Italian artists came specifically to Washington just to paint these designs. The East Hall alone has 14 different pattern types covering 2,800 square feet of wall space. During the 1988 renovation, workers found and saved three layers of original paint hidden under newer coatings.
A train once crashed through the floor into what’s now the food court
Back in 1953, a massive accident happened when a 447,000-pound electric locomotive crashed through the station floor. Its air brakes failed because ice blocked a brake line. Surprisingly, nobody died when this huge engine fell into what’s now the food court area.
Since President Eisenhower’s inauguration was just days away, workers quickly covered the hole with planks.
The tough locomotive was later cut into pieces, taken out through the front doors, and rebuilt in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This real-life accident inspired the ending of the 1976 movie “Silver Streak.”
Shopping replaced the old open-air train platforms
Today when you shop at Union Station, you’re in what used to be open-air train platforms. There are exactly 100 stores across three levels, selling everything from clothes to souvenirs and specialty foods.
You’ll find big names like Warby Parker, Uniqlo, and H&M alongside local shops.
They added these retail spaces during the $160 million renovation in 1988 (that’s $390 million in today’s money). Originally, the area behind the main hall had open sides like European train stations.
Now, the shops take up 214,000 square feet, though half were empty during the pandemic before business picked up again in 2023.
Hidden steel keeps the building safe during earthquakes
You can’t see it, but massive steel frames run across the entire ceiling to protect it during earthquakes. Workers installed these after the 2011 earthquake damaged the main hall. Before that, the ceiling was held together by simple plaster-coated burlap for over 100 years!
The new framework has 18 separate trusses that weigh a total of 220 tons, all hidden above the decorative ceiling you see. Engineers designed this system to handle an 8.0 magnitude earthquake while supporting the 25-ton ceiling.
Special sensors throughout the framework constantly check for any movements or stress.
The station transforms for major events throughout the year
Throughout the year, you can catch amazing events at Union Station. They host the annual Christmas Tree Lighting with a 40-foot Norwegian spruce, weekly farmers markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a Spring Flower Show in April, and international cultural festivals.
In 2022, they held their first big post-pandemic gala with 1,200 people attending. About 72 special events happen here each year, including fashion shows, embassy parties, and inaugural balls. In January 2025, 3,500 guests attended the Presidential Inaugural Ball here, where they used special flooring to protect the historic marble.
Visiting Union Station
- Location: 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
- Hours: Main building open 5am-midnight daily; shops 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 12pm-6pm Sun
- Transportation: You can get here via Metro Red Line, Amtrak, MARC, VRE, Metrobus, DC Streetcar
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