During the summer, I attended a Vegan festival with my parents. I had never been in Tacoma before, but it was better than staying at home. We arrived in town and were following the GPS to my Mom’s friend’s house. Along the way was the huge Union Station which captured the eye. I pointed it out to my Mom, wondering if it was still in service. My mother was unsure, but I hoped it was so that I could one day take a train from a fancy station such as that one. Later that day, when the festival was over, we passed the station on the way out of town. I was happy to see it again and turned around in my seat in order to see it fade out of sight.

This Tuesday, I was happy to see the station during the class field trip. I saw two museums, but I was absolutely itching to see the interior of the train station. Once I was able to view the town on my own, I bought a coffee and showed my ID to the security guard at the entrance of Union Station.

Here’s what to know about the building: It was built in 1911. Its most recognizable feature is its copper dome which identifies the site as a respected historical landmark of Tacoma. Plans to build the station began in 1906 by the architectural firm, “Reed and Stem.” The creation of a grand station in Tacoma was to represent the growing economy in the town.

The 1930s was the peak of railroad travel and then the use of the railroad only rose again during WW2. Afterwards, people frequented use of their cars instead of the train. In 1971, the Tacoma rail service was transferred to Seattle when Amtrak merged with the national passenger rail service. The new Tacoma train station was moved to Freighthouse Square. June 14, 1984 was when the last train left Union Station.

Since then, Union Station has been transformed into the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. It has three floors now, and federal courts occupied the space since 1992. Even transformed, you can still see the beautiful floor of the waiting area, and where people may have been directed for their train.

I walked into the station myself and saw tarps and duct tape on the floor. I asked the guard of the building was being reconstructed. He said that they were pulling the floors up to support the underneath or something. I doubt they would truly take down the original design, seeing as the whole building is a historical landmark. Further, into the entryway, there were the original wood benches, four of them, which awaited people. I wish I had sat down, but I was excited to explore! There were murals on the floor in art deco design (at least I think it was art deco.) Downstairs was a real treat. After descending the stairs, there is still a sign on the wall which directs new arrivals to rise to the waiting area. On the opposite wall from the stairs is another arrow which directs arrivals to the baggage area. I didn’t get to see where trains would have arrived. I would have absolutely died if I could have photographed them. I should have asked the second guard on the lower level.

Behind glass on the downstairs level, there are artifacts from the old train station days. Mostly photographs, nothing really three-dimensional. I was a little disappointed that such a beautiful station had to fall into disrepair, but I was pleased to know the building was still in use.

featured image- credit: Stephen Cysewski