Denver Union Station

Denver Union Station was the tallest building in America’s still-wild West when it opened in 1881, an era when alternative travel options included horse or wagon train. When a fire that began in the ladies’ restroom destroyed much of the station in 1894, Denver leaders came together to build Union Station back stronger than ever.

But by the 1950s Union Station was no longer the only way to get to Denver: highways and planes were pulling travelers away off the rails. In 1958, the iconic neon sign reading “travel by train” (a command that once might have sounded as redundant as “smell by nose”) was installed above the station’s entryway. The timing was perfect in its irony: 1958 was the year passengers at Stapleton Airport exceeded passengers at Union Station for the first time in history.

When developers considered demolishing the station in the 1980s, preservationists came up with an alternative: redevelopment. By the 2010s Union Station was no longer just a train station, but the nexus of Denver’s transportation and cultural networks.

RTD light rail, seasonal ski trains, a bus terminal, and Amtrak trains connect Denver to cities across the region and the country. Above the train station is the 112-room Crawford Hotel, with select rooms designed to evoke vintage sleeper cars. The Great Hall’s historic concourse features restaurants, an ice cream shop, a flower shop, and a bookstore. Union Station is now less a place to pass through than a place to gather.