Passenger Trains > Denver Union Station Christmas 2017

Denver Union Station and The Crawford Hotel (112-rooms) is a welcomed sight during the Holidays. Christmas, Denver, Colorado, December 25, 2017.

The present-day Union Station building consists mainly of two lower wing buildings flanking a larger central mass built during different parts of the station's history. The wing buildings were built with the first 1881 structure in a Romanesque Revival style, featuring tall, narrow windows, rusticated stonework, and motifs of Colorado's state flower, the columbine. When the station was gutted by the 1894 fire, the facades of the wing buildings were incorporated into the 1894 depot and the 1914 renovation. They originally functioned as offices and other facilities for the station through its history, although today the structures house guestrooms for the Crawford Hotel and several restaurants.

The central 1914 portion of the station contains the Great Hall, used historically as the passenger waiting room with ancillary facilities such as a barber shop and a smoking lounge. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style and features elements such as tall, multi-story arched windows and bays on the facade and in the interior, terrazzo floors, a barrel vault spanning the entire width of the Great Hall, two exterior clocks, a metal canopy along the elevation of the structure, and other classical elements. However, most of the architectural detailing is focused on the station's exterior facade compared to the rather simple treatment of the Great Hall. Its interior lacks the grand ornamentation common for stations of time, most notably on the ceiling, and instead utilizes a simple color scheme, a Columbine motif on the borders of the arched bays, metal light sconces, and some marble paneling.

When originally constructed, the Great Hall also included three large chandeliers and ten long wooden benches that incorporated heating and lighting into their framework. However, sometime during the station's history prior to the 2012 renovation, the chandeliers were replaced with flat fluorescent panels. While the renovation saw the return of similar chandeliers as the originals, it also saw the removal of the benches due to asbestos.

Other modifications made during 2012 included changing the brown and tan color scheme of the interior to a more neutral white. The old ticket counters and offices were also converted into the Terminal Bar along with several retail and restaurant spaces being created on the periphery of and opening on to the Great Hall. In general, the 2012 renovation sought to create "Denver's Living Room" in the Great Hall by diversifying its functions. It functions today(2017) as part hotel lobby, part Amtrak, part waiting area, part retail, and part public space. (Info courtesy Wikipedia)

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A great example of historic preservation retaining original use. Not sure about the new train shed though.

What a great photo Chip. Thanks for sharing

Greaat history lesson, very interesting. Thanks for the fine naritive. It's been several years since I have stopped in the station. I was wondering, is the model railroad still operating in one of the lower level rooms?

John

The O scale and HO scale model railroads were removed and no provisions were made for any model railroads in Denver Union Station.