Former Missouri Pacific Railroad Passenger Deport in Little Rock AR

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In 1875, the Cairo and Fulton Lines built its first railroad station. This building was of wood construction and was torn down in 1906. It was replaced with the first Union Station which was completed in 1911. It was of the Second Empire style, with its cornices with brackets, vaguely classic windows, and large mansard tower barely visible over the roof.

In 1920, a businessman from Brooklyn, New York, Charles S. Fallon, who was fanatically opposed to cigarette smoking, publicized that he set fire to the Union Station because he was angry about the smoking public. No mention of legal action against him was made, after that and it is assumed he made the statement for publicity. The burning of Union Station was the largest blaze that had occurred in Little Rock's history at that time.

Immediately following the fire, the railroad established offices in the S. H. Kress warehouse near the depot site. It was hoped that the three railroads operating into Little Rock and Argenta (North Little Rock) could be persuaded to unite in using the same depot. This was where the name "Union Station" originated. Legal technicalities and expensive construction made the union inadvisable, but the name is still in common use today.

When railroad officials made known the details of what the new station would embody, an architect said it would require at least a year to prepare adequate plans for such a structure and a like period of time would be required for construction. That meant the railroad would be without a station in Little Rock for two years. This was unthinkable. The architectural department of the Missouri Pacific Railroad in St. Louis began preparation of plans for the various features of the building in the order of their importance. Construction was begun almost before the rubble and ashes were cool.

One general contractor and eight subcontractors went to work at a pace that clipped nine months off the estimated two years designing and building time. Since unemployment was widespread at the time, skilled workers were easily found. Materials were bought in large quantities and shipped to the building site by rail. More than 350 freight cars loaded with building materials for the station were shipped to Little Rock with a priority that gave them first service on all trains.

The new station was opened to the public on July 31^st, 1921, with a total construction cost of $1 million. E.M. Tucker of St. Louis was the architect. The original drawings are in the possession of the current owner.

Before the demise of the passenger service by the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1970, Union Station was a meeting place of many prominent persons. During World War II, it was the point of departure for soldiers from Camp Robinson when their training was completed and they were ready to be shipped to the war zones. The station was also a point of arrival for the incoming recruits who would get their first taste of the military life.

The restaurant, located at the west end of the lobby area, was one of the larger eating establishments in the city. There was a counter which was used for fast service and dining tables which were used for persons with more time to devote to their dining.

President Harry S. Truman used the station as a whistle stop during his campaign for his full term in office.

When Senator Joseph T. Robinson died in July 1937, many of the senators and representatives from Washington, D.C. came by train to pay their final respects, and came through Union Station.

The railroad was first known as the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. The Arkansas branch extended from Little Rock to the Missouri state line in September of 1872. It was the main artery for distributing immigrants and exchange of freight through the Great Southwest territory.

In 1883, Gleason's Hotel was located at the Union Station and was known as a "first class hotel." It was three stories high, 40' x 200', and grounds covered 1/2 acre. There was ample accommodations for 50 guests. The dining room seated 100 and was furnished in elegant, modern style. There were 22 persons employed by the hotel, and, quoting from Little Rock - Past, Present and Future, "The cuisine of Gleason's is however a feature to which we wish to give special mention. It is all that the most fastidious epicure or bon vivant could desire, and has won for its sumptuously laid tables a very wide reputation among the traveling public and that class of persons who know how to enjoy and appreciate really artistic cookery with the substantial elements not left out."

In 1888, there appears an ad for the Iron Mountain Route "with 3 trains daily to St. Louis, Texas and Southwest, with no change of cars to Los Angeles and San Francisco." H. C. Townsend of St. Louis was general passenger and ticket agent; J. A. Woodson of Little Rock was assistant general passenger agent.

The 1890 Guide to Little Rock stated the Iron Mountain route entered Arkansas in 1853, the population of the state at that time was about 200,000, and by 1890 had increased to over one million.

On May 12^th, 1917, all railroads, lands and other property of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern system were sold and deeded to the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. The present Missouri Pacific station and yards occupy the same site used by the Cairo and Fulton when it first came to Little Rock in 1872. The new (present) station was finished in 1921, which replaced the old station of the early 1870's.

Building Description

Built in 1921, replacing a similar structure of 1911 vintage which was destroyed by fire, the Union Station building in Little Rock has served continuously as a passenger depot on this site since 1872. The first railroad servicing the station was the St. Louis and Iron Mountain which began service in September of 1872. The building consists of a four-story, fireproof, masonry-constructed building of brick, concrete and steel. Construction on the building commenced in 1920 and was completed in 1921. It was historically operated as a passenger terminal for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and office headquarters for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company for the Arkansas district. The basement has concrete floors and is divided into numerous sections and small rooms which were specially designed for the operation of a passenger railroad service. The basement contains 31,341 square feet. The main floor, which contains 27,133 square feet, was previously used for passenger service and included restaurant and dining facilities. This floor is projected by the present owner to house approximately 40 small retail shops that will sell unusual and hard-to-get merchandise. It will not be a shopping center in the normal sense, but a boutique center similar to developments such as Trolley Square in Salt Lake City, Ghirardelli Square, and The Cannery in San Francisco, and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo in Chattanooga.

The second floor, which contains an identical 27,133 square feet, was divided into 3 offices for railroad personnel and are presently under refurbishment to serve as high ceilinged, spacious offices with modern heating and air conditioning added.

The top floor contains 15,405 square feet, and has been renovated. It is presently in use as a modern office floor. The ground floor of the station has been converted into one large restaurant and one large game area. Both restorations have preserved the walls, ceilings and support columns of the original station.

The south elevation of the-building is its principal facade facing diagonally toward the downtown business section of Little Rock and obliquely toward the State Capitol complex, which is five blocks to the south. The exterior is a combination of brick and stone, with ornate carvings, fountains and ornate archways serving as the main entrance into the building. The original waiting room was set off by terrazzo floors and columns marbled to the halfway point of their height, joined by marble on the exterior walls of the building. Extensive plaster molding served as the main interior design, which has been preserved. A kiosk, originally used as a newsstand and soda fountain, is under restoration and is being brought back as a functioning soda fountain. The floor-to-ceiling measurement on the main level is 24 feet, and the spaciousness of the ceiling is balanced by proportional design the length and breadth of the room.

The ground level of the building, although originally a working basement for the railroad, contains numerous brick arches, presently unused pipes, and even a nonfunctioning steam boiler, which have been integrated into the restoration of the building. The passenger station for Amtrak, which functions out of the building, is being rebuilt in the basement of the building, with efforts being made to recreate the feeling and ambiance of a 1920s railroad station which accommodates the present load factor going and coming from Little Rock. The second and third floors are principally unadorned; however, the halls are of terrazzo material, and baths on each floor contain a liberal amount of marble which was common to the era.

An unusual architectural feature of the building is that a crawl space exists between the main floor and second floor, and between the second and third, and third floor and roof, which was designed into the building to ease the servicing of electrical and plumbing connections.

When the building was restored from the 1920 fire, the clock tower, which was not damaged in the fire, was restored with the old brick rescued from the fire. On either side of the tower, a loggia 41'10" x 15' wide was restored for the main entrance into the lobby area. These were finished in marble tiles which still remain. The stone trim on the building is No. 1 Bedford limestone backed up with white Portland cement mortar. The exterior walls are gray pressed brick to match the existing brick of the structure built in 1911. The exterior brick walls range in thickness from 17" to 12".

The arched windows on the first level and the clock tower are reminiscent of the 20^th Century Italian Revival architecture. There are seven stone arches along the front of the building which also relate to the 20^th Century Italian Revival style.

All partitions were built with 4" gypsum blocks; doors were 3'2" x 7', with columns 12" x 12" on the upper floors, and 18" x 18" in the basement level. Hallways and lobby areas are finished in 12" x 12" marble tiles. There are sections of the same marble in the lobby area which extend upward from the floor 8 feet. There are sky-lights on the second and third floor levels. On the third floor, there is a large fireproof vault with heavy metal double doors.

Facade, viewed from the southeast (1977)

East and north elevations (1977)

Tower detail (1977)

Lobby (1977)