Union Station, historic train station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Union Station is a historic railway station in downtown Indianapolis, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was constructed in a Beaux-Arts style and features a distinctive clock tower along with large waiting halls characteristic of early American rail travel.
The station opened in 1888, replacing an earlier building that could no longer handle the growing rail traffic passing through the city. Over the following decades it became one of the busiest rail junctions in the Midwest, before passenger numbers began to fall in the second half of the 20th century.
The name "Union" refers to the idea of bringing several competing rail companies together under one roof, a common practice in American cities at the time. Today the building draws visitors who come specifically to see the old architecture rather than to catch a train.
The station sits in the heart of downtown Indianapolis and can be reached on foot from many central hotels and attractions. Because the building has several sections, it helps to check in advance which entrance leads to the area you are looking for.
In the 1980s, part of the building was converted into a hotel, and some of the guest rooms were set up inside restored old rail cars placed on the tracks inside the station. This made it one of the few places in the country where visitors could spend the night in an actual train car without going anywhere.
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