Tacoma’s Union Station turns 100
Sunday marked the 100th birthday of Tacoma’s Union Station, which opened on May 1, 1911.
In the Tacoma News Tribune:
“The iconic building’s metamorphosis from an abandoned rail station into a bustling federal courthouse in 1992 triggered a cascade of development nearby, including the Washington State History Museum, The University of Washington Tacoma, the Museum of Glass and the new Tacoma Art Museum…
A 1985 News Tribune letter to the editor by Seymour L. Johnson was the game-changer. He suggested that Union Station was a good candidate for a federal courthouse. Congressman Norm Dicks agreed – and got the ball rolling. After years of negotiation among stakeholders, coming up with the $50 million-plus in funding and the actual restoration work, Union Station was reborn as the U.S. Courthouse at Union Station, its copper dome once again a shining beacon for Tacoma…
Someone who hadn’t been to Tacoma since the early 1980s would be startled to see the difference today in the area around Union Station. It bustles with students going to classes at the UWT, tourists visiting the history museum, art lovers going to the museums, diners going to upscale restaurants, and light rail passengers getting on or off at the stop in front of Union Station. Thanks to the many people – public officials and private citizens – who worked so hard to save Union Station from the dustbin of history and a letter writer who had the inspired idea of turning it into a federal courthouse. Tacoma is richer for its preservation.”
