In March 1912, the Dallas Union Terminal Company was chartered by the State of Texas and construction on a new rail terminal soon began. At the time, railroads in Dallas were a confusing tangle of separate lines running in and around downtown, making travel unsafe and cumbersome for pedestrians and drivers. The Kessler Plan (1911) called for the consolidation of rail lines through a central terminal.
Dallas Union Terminal, later renamed Union Station, was completed in October 1916. The Beaux-Arts style terminal consolidated five passenger depots and seven railroads in Dallas’ Central Business District and quickly became a major rail hub for the Southwestern United States. As many as 80 trains per day passed through the station at its peak in the 1920s. Rail usage declined after World War II and UTC eventually ceased operations. Amtrak began service at the terminal in March of 1974.
Today, Union Station is a stop for Amtrak, DART Light Rail, and the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail. It was the first building in Dallas to be given historic designation at all three levels – Local (Dallas Landmark), State (Registered Texas Historic Landmark), and National (National Register of Historic Places).
Click here to view our photo set for Union Station.
City of Dallas Office of Historic Preservation 