Nostalgia & History > A "HOT Day" at Denver Union Station - From the Front Side

Denver's Union Station always had the special look. Back in the day, and now, the station served as a hub for the transportation needs of the city.

Here, a Denver Tramway street car is ready to receive passengers from the multitude of trains arriving in Denver in what are commonly called the "olden days."

From the Denver Tramway Collection

YY

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From the look of the automobiles i'm gonna guess circa 1918

anybody know what's up with the fake gateway? very false-front look. is it still there?

Jamie Yeager
Santa Fe, NM

the welcome arch was torn down as a traffic hazard a few years later

However, a local historical group is trying to get enough interest to rebuild a replica
of the arch.

Many cities of that era had similar gateways.  For the most part, these were built of iron and bolted together.  The one in Seattle's Pioneer Square was near destroyed by an inattentive trucjk driver.  Fortrunately, it was rebuilt but is no longer totally original.

YY

It was called the “Mizpah Arch,” because the "Mizpah" was incribed on the side of the arch seen by travelers about to enter the station.  "Mizpah" is a Hebrew word connoting an emotional bond between people who are separated.

Here's a photo of the arch as would be seen by travelers about to enter the station:

https://lodohistory.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/mizpah.jpg

On the other side of the arch, "Welcome" was inscribed as shown in the following photo:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/17307?size=_original#caption

As noted above, the arch was deemed a traffic hazard and was torn down in 1931.

All excellent photos.  Thank you.