Building Description Kansas City Union Station

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Station Description

Exterior General Description

The primary building material is Indiana Blue limestone, a combination Blue Bedford stone quarried in Indiana. Polished Vermont Grey granite composes the base of the building at the south facade. Concrete forms the building's remaining facades. An open-air, cast-iron and glass Carriage Pavilion adjoins the station's west wing at the first floor. Recurrent decorative elements include Neoclassical pilasters, simple banding, rusticated stone work, foliated trim, and pedimented fenestration.

Union Station can be defined, in part, by the series of immense windows that line and dominate its central entrance block. The combination and placement of these windows allows light to filter into and through the station, creating an almost transparent effect that makes the building appear lighter and more compact than its actual massing. An uninterrupted view through the station is provided by the three triumphal arched windows along the south facade directly aligned with two equal sized windows at the upper east and west ends of the north elevation of the headhouse. An arched entryway to the North Waiting Room aligns with the south facade's central window. Additionally, large rectangular windows are centered at the east and west facades of the headhouse. Dramatic shadows cast into the interior by this composition of windows add to the grandeur of this brilliantly designed station.

The use of natural light was a critical consideration in the design and planning of Kansas City Union Station. Varying sizes, shapes, and patterns of windows along the building's exterior appear to dictate specific public and private functions planned along the building' s interior. The Grand Hail and North Waiting Room, large public areas intended to accommodate substantial crowds, are lined with an immense and repeated series of windows, while smaller, private support areas feature a more intimate, human-scaled treatment. In addition to exterior fenestration, light courts also were incorporated at the center of the east and west wings. Light courts provide window openings at the second and third floor wing interior offices and contain large skylights that provided natural light to the first floor public areas of both the east and west wings.

Skylights also were used to provide natural light to other areas of the building with no external windows, such as the Ushers' Room at the first floor and the fifth and sixth floors, which are concealed within the entablature and cornice level of the headhouse. Light wells in the south plaza allow natural light to filter into the windows of the basement mezzanine and basement areas of the headhouse and wings.

South Elevation: The Principal Facade

The Headhouse

The central bay of this three-part composition does not function as an entrance, but instead features a 20' high decorative limestone pedestal. The pedestal is an integral component of the original design and, according to a captioned illustration that appeared in the Kansas City Star in 1914, was apparently intended to receive an ornamental sculpture to be selected by city officials. The sculpture was never installed, and the pedestal has remained vacant since the building's completion. The central bay is framed on either side by a pair of Roman columns that are banded at their lower shank and set on a granite pedestal. The capital of each column meets the underside of the building's architrave just below its decorative frieze. Each end window is framed by a single banded column also set on a granite pedestal. Each of these single columns meets the massive end pylons that define the edges of the headhouse.

Each end pylon features a single door set into the building's granite base and capped by a granite pediment. Above each doorway is a round window framed by a delicately carved limestone acorn and acorn leaf wreath. The wreaths are two of the most delicate and distinctive features on this massive stone exterior. Each wreath is 6' in diameter and frames fourteen small panes of glass set back 2' into the stone. The upper portion of each wreath is bordered by a carved limestone ribbon element. A single window appears above the round window at the second-floor level. The remaining sections of each end pylon are banded. From its central bay, the building is essentially symmetrical.

The headhouse is accentuated by a stone entablature with a decorative frieze of triglyphs and paterae, and a projecting cornice. The entablature design is based on the Roman Doric Order with Beaux-Arts mannerisms. The cornice features a continuous soffit and a repeated series of mutule, each decorated with six rows of guttae. A solid limestone parapet wall with intermittent parapet blocks rises above the cornice tine to shield the flat and gabled roof beyond. The parapet extends to each end pylon where it meets a limestone pedestal and capstone that prominently mark the juncture of these two elements. The pedestals act in a similar fashion to the parapet wall, shielding a massive gabled pediment that rises beyond it along the east and west elevation. The headhouse roof was originally covered with interlocking decorative cast concrete tiles. The roof area was divided into three sections, corresponding to the three arched windows below, by elevated ribs of the concrete tile. The original tiles were removed in 1994 and replaced with a temporary galvanized metal roof to stem the severe leaking that was damaging the interior finishes.

East and West Wings

The first floors of the east and west wings feature five, double-hung pedimented windows. The window surrounds and pediments are polished Vermont Grey granite. The first-floor mezzanine windows begin immediately above the first-floor window pediments and are a tripartite composition, featuring a large, double-hang window in the center framed on either side by narrow, double-hung sidelights. Limestone banding, which meets the building's granite base, surrounds, in a continuous fashion, all first-floor pediments and first-floor mezzanine windows. The windows at the second story are identical to the windows on the first-floor mezzanine. All window frames are cast iron; sashes are wood. A simple parapet wall rises above the second-floor windows at the eave of the gabled roof to conceal a copper gutter. The roof of the east and west wings retain the original tiles.

A low limestone wall surrounds the front of each wing at grade level, serving as a protective barrier to the driveway below the plaza level. The driveway originally connected Grand Avenue to the east with Broadway to the west via ramps and provided vehicle access to the Rail and Adams Express Buildings, the Commissary Building, and the basement level of the station.

Carriage Concourse Pavilion

North Elevation: Headhouse and Wings

The north elevations of the east and west wings, which terminate at the projecting end pavilions, are identical in form to those of the primary facade, except that on the north elevation the basement mezzanine and basement levels are visible. The base of the building on the north facade is concrete. This concrete base, below the band of five pedimented windows that forms the first story, is pierced by three large openings with segmental arched heads and two narrow openings. The central large opening features a cast-iron marquee supported from the building face by chains. These openings provide access to the concrete loading platforms and the freight tracks from the basement level. The end pavilions each contain one large opening at ground level, below the first-story pedimented window, and originally also had cast-iron marquees.

Adjacent to the west wing pavilion is the cast-iron framed Carriage Concourse Pavilion, which sits atop a concrete base. The north facade of the Carriage Concourse Pavilion base fills the area between the west pavilion and the Rail Express Building and is pierced by three large segmented-arch openings that originally provided access to a concrete loading platform and to freight and passenger tracks that were immediately adjacent to the building. To the east of the east wing, the Commissary building originally extended from the end pavilion under and beyond the Main Street viaduct.

East and West Elevations: Headhouse and Wings

The east wing, east elevation fenestration pattern features three, double-hung windows set in limestone pedimented surrounds and two tripartite, double-hung sashes set in rectangular surrounds at the first floor. Immediately above these pediments are the five first-floor mezzanine windows, which are framed by continuous limestone banding. The five tripartite second-floor windows are identical in form to those of the mezzanine. The end bays formed by the pavilions feature this same window pattern: second-floor and banded mezzanine windows over a pedimented window. The mezzanine and second-floor windows are recessed and framed by a pair of engaged columns. At the basement and basement mezzanine levels the walls are faced with concrete, the board-formed finish still visible. The center three bays at these lower levels are covered by the remaining portion of the Commissary Building. The exposed sections of wall to either side of the Commissary Building each have a single large, segmental arched, two-story opening. The south opening retains the original cast-iron marquee, which is supported from the face of the building by chains.

The prominent views of the eastern elevation from Main Street and Grand Street made the end pavilion a natural focal point. The George A. Fuller Construction Company set out one of its signs on the east face of the pavilion's stepped limestone roof during the construction of the station.

The west elevation of the west wing is the same as the east at the mezzanine and second-floor levels. Because the Carriage Concourse Pavilion intersects the elevation above the first-floor level, the first-floor north window has a flat pediment instead of gabled. There are only two large openings at the center of the first floor, one for the entrance doors to the Carriage Concourse and one a blind window to the Men's Toilet.

The overall symmetry of the station is evident on all of the facades; the elements that constitute the whole relate in a rich variety of ways to one another. The composition of the south facade's pavilions, with their recessed window plane framed by two columns, is replicated on the end (east and west) facades. Coupled with the end pavilions that anchor the north facade, the end pavilions form a tightly balanced composition.

The Commissary and Express Buildings

The Rail Express and Adams Express Buildings extend from the west side of the Station following the line of Pershing Road. The two three-level buildings extend nearly 1100' to the west and are connected via an 80-foot-long tunnel at the sub-basement level. The buildings are similar in construction to the Commissary Building. At the two above-grade floor levels, the exterior walls are exposed, board-formed concrete. There are large window openings at the upper floor, matched by large door openings at the first level. The first-floor door openings are protected by continuous iron canopies at both the north and south faces of the building. The doors and canopies provided protected access to concrete loading platforms used for vehicle loading and unloading at the south side and rail loading and unloading at the north.

North Wing

North Facade of the North Wing

At the track level, the north facade features three large window openings that originally contained multi-paned windows. Large piers project slightly at either end of the north wall, framing the composition. At the first-floor level, a row of nine double-hung windows punctuate the facade. In the center a cluster of three windows is flanked on either side by two single windows, and each pier is pierced by a single limestone pedimented window opening.

Set back from the track and first-floor facade plane is the gable-end "clerestory" level faced with limestone. The pediment of the gable rises slightly higher than the roof line. Below the heavy banded cornice, which projects along all elevations of the North Waiting Room portion of the north wing, is a single segmental arch, triparlite window, identical to those on the east and west elevations of the North Waiting Room.

East and West Facades of the North Wing

The Train Sheds

The train sheds over the passenger tracks were built of steel, with trusses spanning the area above the tracks. The Strobel Steel Construction Company was responsible for most of the steel work on the sheds, while the American 3-Way Prism Company provided roofing material. Historic photographs illustrate the original conditions under the roofs of the train sheds. While passengers accessed the platform using stairs and elevators from the midway, the baggage handlers used freight elevators that connected the platforms with the sub-basement level. The Harvey Company provided small staffed kiosks, where passengers could purchase snacks and reading material for their journeys. The area was lit by simple electric fixtures.

Station records document few changes to the train sheds until 1943, when a contract for maintenance work mentions that escalator inclines from the midways to the track had punctured the roof of the sheds. The eastern train sheds were torn down in 1972, and most of the western train sheds were removed in 1976.

The Roof

Membrane roofing, installed by the Trinidad Company of Kansas City, was used for all flat areas of roofing including the areas behind the parapet at the Grand Hall, East and West Wing, East and West Wing light courts, Commissary, and Express Building roofs. Membrane was also used at the sloped roofs of the original train sheds. Hip-roofed, copper-framed skylights were used liberally throughout the flat roof areas. The largest skylights were located in the East and West Wing light courts and above the barbershop at the West Midway. Multiple small skylights were used at the roof areas of the Grand Hall which are behind the roof parapets, and at the Commissary (east of the East Wing). All of the metalwork associated with the roofs, including flashing and ventilators, was fabricated of copper.

In 1998, the existing roofing materials at the Grand Hall, North Waiting Room, Midways, East and West Wings, and light courts were replaced with new materials chosen to match the appearance of the original materials while incorporating modern materials technology. All decorative concrete tile was replaced with new tile matching the size, shape, color, and texture of the original tile. The asphalt membrane was replaced with modern membrane materials, and the deteriorated copper flashing was replaced with new copper. The skylights in the East and West Wings were repaired, and new glass was installed to replace the damaged original wire glass. A new aluminum skylight at the West Midway was installed to match the size and shape of the original skylight, which was then missing. Internal drain lines were replaced with cast iron, plastic, or copper piping.

A small amount of masonry work was included with the roofing work, to ensure that the new roofs could be properly installed and would not be damaged by future work. The masonry work included pointing and repair of the brickwork and the terra-cotta coping and sills at the East and West Wing light courts and the brick at the Grand Hall roof parapets. The limestone immediately adjacent to the roofing areas was cleaned of tar, asphalt, and old sealant to the extent necessary to provide a clean joint for pointing. The open joints and cracks of the Grand Hall parapet and sloped roof limestone were pointed with mortar, modern sealant, and joint covers. New roof access doors were installed at the existing locations of the Grant Hall roof, and a new access door was installed to provide safe access to the Waiting Room Roof. None of the access doors are visible from the ground level. Existing roof top mechanical equipment was demolished as part of the project, and hazardous materials were abated.

Interior Description

Summary

The upper floors of the station provided office and support space for the KCTRY and the Harvey Company. These rooms are not as elaborately finished as the public areas of the station. Below the first floor, three levels of space provided areas for sorting the enormous quantity of mail and baggage that passed through the station; offices, staff and maintenance facilities; and storage and preparation areas for the Harvey Company.

The floor plan of Kansas City Union Station today is remarkably similar to Jarvis Hunt's original plan, as constructed. Small-scale alterations were made shortly after the building opened, and improvements were made in the Harvey space frequently over the years. The track and platform areas were adjusted through the years to meet the needs of changing traffic patterns. The expansion of the postal service facilities, especially with the construction of a new post office building in the early 1930s, prompted the expansion of the sub-basement and the construction of a tunnel connecting the two buildings. Some of the changes reflected nationwide trends. Shortly after the construction of the station, partition walls and segregated bathrooms were added in the employee areas, separating African-American and white employees. During World War I, large memorial booths in the Grand Hall commemorated the American lives lost. Plaza improvements, which had been part of the original site plan, were made as budgets allowed.

Major alterations to the station building were generally confined to the retail spaces, offices, and support areas of the building. The restaurant areas were substantially renovated and heavily altered in the late 1930s and again in the 1950s. The latter renovation, which was carried out by the Chicago firm of Holabird, Root and Burgee, also included major changes in the Grand Hall, where Hunt's elegantly curved ticket office was altered to form a rectangular booth, and enlarged retail and food service enclosures encroached on the open floor areas of the Grand Hall and North Waiting Room.

First Floor

Grand Hall

The vast interior of the Grand Hall is organized spatially by the light-filled, large-bay openings in the upper register of the hall. Three giant coffered arches on the south wail are repeated along the north wall. On the south wall, all three openings contain windows in their upper register. On the north wall, the two end arches curtain windows, and the central arch provides access to the North Waiting Room. This elaborate central arch on the north wall, as the connector of these two grand spaces and the only fully open monumental arch of the interior, is a focal point for the station's interior. At the east and west ends of the Grand Hall, a large, rectangular, multi-paned window pierces the recessed center of each wall.

The highly ornamental plaster ceiling is coffered on a scale established by the window openings and the building's great height. The walls of the room are articulated by rich yellow Kasota stone over a dark red marble dado. The pink and yellow Kasota stone floor, embellished with a geometric pattern of polychromatic marble, reinforces the axial relationships of this principal space from which all other public functions of the station radiate.

North and South Wails

The central, monumental, coffered arch of the north wall originally provided a ceremonial entry to the North Waiting Room and on to the trains below. This arch, the only monumental arch open in its entirety, is the most elaborately embellished of the station's interior. Recessed from the coffered arch, projecting from an enormous segmented-arched tympanum, is a massive cartouche. Set against a sunburst backdrop, the carved cartouche is surmounted on an ornate entablature, supported by decorative brackets. A keystone at the base of the tympanum is embellished by three stylized ears of com. The station's clock, 6'-6" in diameter, is suspended from a recessed panel in the underside of the segmented arch. The clock and the rest of the decorative elements of the central north wall arch remain unchanged as original landmark features of the station's interior.

The other enormous arched window bays of the station's north and south walls are filled on their lower halves by three-level, recessed, cast-iron door frames, window frames, and spandrel that extend from the first-floor level to the base of the ornate cast-iron railing that lines each second-floor balcony. The door openings function as the principal passageways to other areas of the station, directing and reinforcing the circulation pattern of the station. The two passageways on the south wall of the station lead to vestibules that open onto the exterior Station Plaza. The two passageways on the north wall lead to the East and West Midways, which flank the North 'Waiting Room, and eventually down to the train platforms. The uppermost level of these metal structures serves as an open walkway; there were originally seven of these, one spanning each giant window bay, connecting the second floor around the perimeter of the Grand Hall. Most of these balconied walkways contained numerous radiators, the source of heat for the Grand Hall. Doors leading to and from each balcony along the second floor are capped by rounded pediment lintels, and set within a recessed and heavy molded frame; the Kasota stone door surrounds feature a decorative voussoir. The balconies of these walkways feature an elaborate Beaux-Arts balustrade.

Between the first-floor mezzanine casement windows and the second-floor level is a simple frieze, featuring a long horizontal band framed by paterae blocks, below which is a Vitruvian scroll or wave frieze, common in classical ornamentation. A decorative geometric framework defines the spandrel between the mezzanine-level windows and the first floor doors. Nine large, metal, pivot windows, divided into two panes by a vertical mullion, close off the first-floor mezzanine level. At the floor level, there are nine identical bronze-clad wood doors with glass panes and bronze hardware, topped by operable hopper transoms divided into two panes by vertical mullions. The spandrel between the mezzanine and the first-floor door heads was originally used as a signage panel to direct passengers. On the north wall, where these portals brought passengers from the trains into the station, they read "From Trains." On the south wail, where these portals led passengers to outside transportation, the labels changed a number of times over the course of the station's history, including signage at the cast passageway along the south wall that once read "TO MONARCH & YELLOW CABS."

On areas between the arched openings, the wall openings are detailed with a two-story dark red marble surround. Framed by pillars, these door surrounds are duplicated around the perimeter of the Grand Hall. The marble, pedimented headers of these door surrounds are mounted atop a horizontal decorative band with corner blocks inset with paterac. Along the tops of the wide door jambs are decorative brackets that culminate in rosette paterae and three dentils. These tall door surrounds are partitioned horizontally into sections. At floor level, there originally were paired bronze-clad wood doors with sectioned transoms above, set into cast-iron frames, or clear openings with folding iron gates. At the mezzanine level, the portal is filled with a band of vertical metal-frame pivot windows, functioning as an elongated super transom. The spandrel at the mezzanine floor was traditionally used for signage.

These impressive door surrounds originally served as the entries to concession rooms, food service facilities, and gender-specific waiting room and toilet facilities. Along the north and south walls, the dark red marble door surrounds alternated between the large arched portal windows. On the north wall, the entrance at the westernmost end was originally labeled "Men." it later also featured a hanging sign indicating that the barber shop was contained within. A barber pole was also affixed to the jamb of the entrance. On the other side of the West Midway doors was the Fruit and Candy concession. This sign was later changed to read "Candy Shop," although the other entrance to this concession, from the interior of the central north arch, retained the original signage. On the eastern side of the north arch walk was the "News and Books" store, which later featured a hanging sign similar to the barber shop. On the south wall, flanking the Ticket Office, was the "Western Union" office to the east and the "Telephone Room" to the west. The end bays of the south wall served as entries onto halls that led to the upper-floor offices.

On the north and south walls, as throughout the Grand Hall, the wails are faced with blocks of warm-toned yellow Kasota stone. Large pilasters frame the bays of the room, extending from plinth bases with carved oak leaf designs to a heavy entablature that encircles the entire room. From the level of the second floor up, these plain pilasters became fluted. Hunt indicated that, at this second-story level, entasis for the pilasters should begin, to counteract the appearance of concavity given by straight-sided columns. The pilasters culminate in capitals that feature a raised shield without any crest or emblem. The entablature has numerous elements to it. Above an unadorned architrave is the main frieze, composed of fluted horizontal panels. The Greek key frieze that was planned for this section, according to Hunt's drawings, was not executed. The

panels not situated over the large window openings are punctuated by a single, centered, circular medallion. The cornice is characterized by oversized dentilling. Above the cornice is an unusual, recessed, coffered cove block, though this coffering and the paterae at each intersection of the coffers are not visible from the ground. Encircling the entire room, this recessed area gives the otherwise heavy and ornate ceiling a lofty, almost floating presence.

Projecting from the north and south walls between the pilasters are eight original elegant, two-tiered, torchiere sconces, echoing in their design the elaborate tiered chandeliers hanging at the center of the Grand Hall.

East and West Walls

The first-floor level, which led to Harvey's Lunch Counter, originally featured paired bronze doors flanked by a metal framework of sidelights and transom lights in the end bays. In the center was a series of multi-paned windows. By 1927, this configuration had been altered. The central bay became the entrance, with a set of four doors with glass panels and a transom of four square lights, and the side bays were composed of storefront glass and four-light transoms identical to that of the center bay. This entrance was altered again during the modernization program of the late 1950s. On the west wall, the three large door surrounds are open portals leading to the Carriage Concourse Lobby.

The secondary openings of the east and west walls were originally identical in form to those of the north and south walls, discussed above. There were two of these two-story, marble door surrounds on each wall, framing the central tripartite openings. On the east wall, the northernmost was the entrance to the Women's Waiting Room. The original signage reading "Women" is still legible; it is surmounted by a beauty salon sign, still extant, of a more recent date. The other smaller entrance on the east wall led to the Harvey restaurant. On the west wall, the north opening was originally labeled, "Cigars," and contained the Cigar Store. Situated near the Men's Smoking Room and Barber Shop on the north wall, this area formed the men's section of the station. According to November 1^st, 1912 Hunt drawings, the south bay was originally filled by a marble counter and three teller-type bronze windows and wickets for the cashier's office. Later the use of the space was changed to retail and the storefront window system installed.

The Ceiling

Each of the three immense coffers combines a series of geometric and radial patterns. The central medallion of the large coffers features a floral patera enclosed in a sunburst design similar to that behind the cartouche in the north arch. From each of these elaborate medallions in the center of the three large coffers hangs an elegant, three-tiered iron and gilt chandelier. Each of the smaller rectangular coffers is divided into three separate squares; the two end squares measure 15'-6" in length, while the central, most decorative block measures 13'-9". The two end blocks are identical, featuring a square, inlaid and beveled plaster band and punctuated at its center by a modified rosette. The banding in each end square is open and extended where it meets the central block, creating a ribbon effect that appears to join the two end squares through the central block. The central block is open and unadorned at its center, but framed on all four sides by a raised foliated band.

Though in a state of serious disrepair, the elements of the Grand Hall ceiling appear virtually intact and clearly legible as original and integral to the design of the station. The three-tiered chandeliers, which add to the grandeur of this space, are also extant.

The Flooring

Photographs taken immediately after the building was constructed indicate that the design for this floor pattern, which also was to have been executed and continued within the North Waiting Room, was not carried out. The flooring that appears in these early photographs is identical to the flooring that currently exists in the Grand Hall and the waiting room. It is assumed that changes in the floor design were made onsite during the construction of the building.

The great expanse of floor laid in the Grand Hall is composed primarily of alternating shades of pink and yellow Kasota stone set in squares throughout the length of the Grand Hall. The simplified floor, which reflects, to a lesser degree, the geometry of the ceiling, is bordered by a grid-like geometric pattern of polychromatic marble. Along the north and south perimeters of the floor, in front of each of the smaller bay openings, is a marble design of a star-like pattern inscribed within a circle. This design, which features an interlocking series of squares and circles, is the most elaborate repeated feature of the executed floor plan.

The interior of the station's monumental Grand Hall appears today virtually as it did when the station opened in 1914. The only major change in this space has been the alteration of the station's elegant ticket office, and the installation of free-standing retail and other commercial booths as part of a 1958 renovation campaign. Fortunately, the 1958 renovation efforts were reversible, and all installations have been removed from this space, leaving very little trace of their presence.

Ticket Office

The remains of Hunt's semicircular Ticket Office still stand between the two main arched entrances of the south facade. The original booth was drastically altered in 1958. The original semicircular footprint of the booth was reduced to a rectangle by removing the projecting half-circle bay. The resulting booth had an open counter with low glass and aluminum dividers, giving it a modern, open feeling. The fascia of the booth was sleek aluminum, and featured an illuminated "Tickets" sign. Part of a $400,000 modernization program undertaken during the 1950s in the station, the streamlined ticket booth was hailed by officials as "far more efficient". Today, the skeleton frame of this second smaller booth remains, stripped of its finishes. The existing marble counter base and top are original material, as are the remaining roof trusses and wire mesh ceiling.

Temporary Lobby Booths and Displays

During World War I, a series of temporary displays occupied the center bay in front of the tripartite entrance to the Lunch Counter. The first displays were simple and somber, adorned with Red Cross imagery and patriotic displays of flags. Later, Liberty Loan Booths were more elaborate. One featured a stained-glass depiction of "the good ship Liberty," as well as specially mounted light fixtures and patriotic crests.

Other booths in the Grand Hall included the Traveler's Aid Desk, shown in a 1927 floor plan in the southeast corner, near the entrance to the Harvey restaurant. Later floor plans show the Traveler's Aid Desk next to Avis Auto Rental, just east of the entrance to the Western Union office. In 1958, a refreshment bar was added in the western part of the Grand Hall as part of a station-wide renovation.

Public Telephone Room and Western Union Office

The Western Union Office, immediately east of the Ticket Office, opened onto both the Grand Hall to the north, and a small connecting passage to the Ticket Office. In 1927, a wide rectangular counter divided the public and private space in the office. Desks and other furnishings were located behind the counter. The area was finished in the same materials as the Telephone Room, with marble flooring and plaster walls, ceiling and trim. The Western Union Office was converted into toilets after the mid-1960s. The original flooring, marble wainscot, marble base and plaster wails and ceiling remain intact.

East and West Entrance Vestibules

East and West Office Lobbies and Vestibules

East Wing

Women's Waiting Room

A historic photograph shows the Women's Waiting Room furnished with dark wicker chairs and settees at the time of the building's opening. Railway correspondence indicates that the room was to be fitted with two mahogany bench seats designed by Hunt and fabricated by the American Fixture Company. Round chandeliers, the same as those used in the Men's Waiting Room, are also visible in this photograph. The wicker furniture is no longer extant, but the mahogany benches now ring the center columns. The original light fixtures have been replaced with the glass and metal chandeliers that originally hung in the Harvey Restaurant. The Matron's Room, which was located just inside the entrance to the waiting room, became part of the drugstore before 1959. The matron was then allocated a small space in the southwest corner of the room. A modern, partial-height partition wall has been installed in the southern half of the room, and a new door opening has been cut in the south wall.

Women's Retiring Room

Women's Toilet Room

Harvey Restaurant Space

The Lunch Counter was a wide, two-story space, lit by panels of recessed skylights. A mezzanine-level Balcony Lunch Room provided table seating overlooking the main dining space on the east end of the room. A large marble lunch counter projected from the east wall, occupying almost the entire length of the room. According to the records of the KCTRY, the lunch counter was designed by Hunt, but most of the other fittings were designed by Taussig & Flesch, contract designers for the Harvey space. Wide Neoclassical pilasters divided the north and south walls into shallow bays. Two symmetrical pilasters in the same style marked the edge of the mezzanine-level balcony. The patterns of the richly detailed cornice molding resembled those used in the Men's and Women's Waiting Rooms. Between the pilasters, additional molding created a paneled effect on the plaster walls, which were painted in a floral pattern. Electric lights were mounted on the walls, and brass standards, designed by the Edward F. Caldwell Company of New York, stood behind the lunch counter. The lunch counter was surrounded with swivel-mounted bar chairs. Small dining tables and chairs were arranged around the edges of the room. The floor was marble, laid in a square pattern. The chairs were bentwood, with a gray finish, while the tables had matching gray bases and glass tops. An article in the February 17^th, 1946, Kansas City Star carried a former waitress's recollections of the original appearance of the Harvey space:

Small alterations were made to the Harvey Lunch Counter as necessary. In 1916, the doorway was reconfigured to reduce drafts from the Grand Hall. "Everlastic" floor tile was installed in 1920. More substantial renovations were incurred in 1929, when the three bays at the main entrance to the lunchroom were remodeled, and a pastry shop was installed in the northwest corner of the room.

The original Harvey Restaurant was even more elegantly appointed than the Harvey Lunch Counter. The entrance to the restaurant, which opened onto the Grand Hall, was concealed by a paneled screen. Like the Harvey Lunch Counter, the Harvey Restaurant was two stories high. Four tall windows on the south wall illuminated the space. Porthole windows on the mezzanine level of the east wail allowed Harvey management to observe the restaurant. As in the Harvey Lunch Counter, ornamental plaster work decorated the room, creating a paneled effect on the ceiling and the walls. Again, ornamental pilasters created shallow bays on the walls. The bands of decoration were in foliated and geometric patterns. Glass and metal chandeliers (subsequently moved to the Women's Waiting Room) hung from the ceiling. The large dining tables and comfortable chairs were set farther apart than at the Harvey Lunch Counter. The floor was marble, laid in a square pattern.

Both the Harvey Restaurant and the Lunch Counter were heavily altered over the years. In 1936, the Harvey Restaurant was converted into the Westport Room, a themed tap room." The ceiling was dropped to a single story, and a curved curtain wall was installed, dividing the space into a separate cocktail room and dining area. The walls were decorated with murals depicting pioneer scenes. In 1957, the entire Harvey area was renovated. A new bar, suspended ceiling and partitioned walls obliterated all but traces of the former Harvey Lunch Counter and Restaurant. The remaining marble floor was covered with vinyl tile, and the entrance was replaced with a modern entrance of plate glass and aluminum.

The kitchen was also altered and upgraded repeatedly over the years. Originally, the Harvey Lunch Counter and Restaurant were served by separate kitchens. The Lunch Counter was served by a one-story kitchen at the east end of the building. This rectangular kitchen had three windows on the east wall, and opened onto the Lunch Counter to the west. Service from the kitchen to the balcony was via a stairwell in the northwest corner, and a door on the south wall connected the lunch counter kitchen to the adjoining restaurant kitchen. The L-shaped Restaurant kitchen was also a single story, lit by two windows each on the east and south sides of the room. Doors fed to the Restaurant to the west and to the Lunch Counter to the north. In 1941, the Lunch Counter kitchen and Restaurant kitchen were combined. A 1959 floor plan shows the large rectangular kitchen with a dish washing room partitioned in the northeast corner. The surviving floor is quarry tile, and the wails are plaster. These finishes are probably original, while the acoustic ceiling tile is a later addition.

Today, the Harvey spaces bear little resemblance to the elegant spaces depicted in historic photographs. Some original elements, such as cornice molding, ceiling beams, and balcony railing, are still intact, hidden under later additions. Otherwise, the space retains little of its historic character.

Booth C: News and Books

In the late 1950s, the News and Toys booth was reconfigured as part of station-wide renovation of the Fred Harvey spaces. The retail area was expanded south into the Grand Hall and the rear of the store was converted to a stock room. According to records of the KCTRY, the new retail fixtures were designed by Holabird and Root, and were typical of the late 1950s in their materials and design. Period photographs show a one-story retail space, with simple planes of metal and glass, uninterrupted by applied decoration. By 1966, the area had been converted to a Traveler's Needs Shop, but the layout was not substantially altered." Today, many of the original wood shelves and display cabinets at the north half of the space remain intact, as does the marble floor and plaster cornice and ceiling.

Booth D: Drug Store

Booth D has been heavily altered over the years. A new soda fountain/lunch counter was installed in the Fruit and Candy booth in the 1950s, but the railway correspondence that documents this change does not note whether the original soda fountain was removed at this point. A 1927 floor pian shows the drugstore as slated for renovation, and correspondence discusses the conversion of the space into new "Men's and Women's" shops. Station correspondence records subsequent alterations. In 1932, new curved glass display cases were installed by one of the entrances, as part of the conversion of the space into a Men's and Women's Furnishings store. Four years later, the area was renovated again, and a liquor store was installed in the space. The 1936 renovation included the installation of new wall cases, the enclosure of the stairway to the mezzanine, new marble trim, and a linoleum floor. The plaster ceiling was also altered during this period, and the opening between the Women's Waiting Room and the Matron's Room was closed with partition wall. In 1959, the Drug Store was closed, and Fred Harvey relinquished the space as part of a station-wide renovation. A 1966 floor plan identifies the space as the "Red Door Room," but there is no indication of its use or furnishings. Today, the original mezzanine-level windows have been painted, but are otherwise intact. Most of the original plaster walls, cornice, beams, and ceiling also remain in place. All of the original fixtures and fittings are gone.

West Wing

Men's Smoking Room

The Men's Smoking Room has not undergone any major alterations. The existing light fixtures, round chandeliers, are original but have been modified to accept fluorescent tubes. The benches and the weighing-scale have also been removed. Otherwise, the appearance of the Men's Smoking Room is remarkably close to Hunt's original plan.

Men's Toilet Room

Booth A: Cigar Store

The Fred Harvey Company relinquished the Cigar Store area during a station-wide renovation in the late 1950s. Today, a single original display case survives, and the electrical closet doors remain intact in the booth. The original flooring and plaster ceiling also remain.

Parcel Check Room

Carriage Concourse Vestibule

Carriage Concourse Alcove and Lobby

The Carriage Concourse Lobby is located in the center of the west wing, and originally provided access from the carriage concourse to the Grand Hall. It was a stepped rectangular space, two stories high, broadening toward the Grand Hall to the east. The Carriage Concourse Lobby bordered the Men's Toilet Room and Parcel Check Room to the north, and the Baggage Area to the south. The main entrances to the Carriage Concourse Lobby were the tripartite doorway to the west vestibule, and the wider, triple-bayed entrance from the Grand Hall. The area also could be entered through a doorway on the south wall, which led to the Baggage Area, through a small door to the Parcel Check Room on the north wall, or from the south-facing open bay of the Cigar Store. The Carriage Concourse Lobby had no windows to the exterior, but originally received natural light from a large skylight overhead. A band of fifteen rectangular windows faced onto the lobby from the mezzanine level along the south wall and no doubt borrowed light from the skylight. The lower portion of the south wall was filled with a counter for the Baggage Room to the south. The marble baggage counter was mounted with a bronze-covered counter with bronze grills. The east section of the counter fronting the cashiers' area had smaller windows with marble deal trays and bronze wickets. The north wail adjoining the Parcel Check Room also consisted of customer counters, detailed the same as the baggage counters.

Although less richly detailed than the Grand Hall, the Carriage Concourse Alcove and Lobby were finished in the same materials, most of which remain. The floor of the Alcove and Lobby continues the polychromatic marble pattern of the lobby. The walls are Kasota stone, decorated with a low-relief geometric pattern around the mezzanine-level windows on the south wall of the Lobby. Decorative corniced beams create a recessed effect on the plaster ceiling. While the adjoining areas have been reconfigured, the Carriage Concourse Lobby remains in near-original condition, with the exception of minor alterations to the north and south elevations. The skylight is intact, but has been covered over at the exterior. The original wood-framed light frame and pivot sash are intact at the ceiling of the lobby, but the glass has been painted.

Despite alterations described above, the Carriage Concourse Lobby retains most of its original character and detail. It still serves as an important access point between the west end of the station and the Grand Hall.

Baggage Area

Most of the south half of the west wing was given over to the Baggage Area. The 1927 floor plan shows two subdivided rooms within the Baggage Area, against the south wall. One, a small square room with a window on the south wall, was allocated for the Baggage Master's private use. The use of the second, larger room is not marked on the floor plan, and it is not clear whether this area was part of the Baggage Area, or an independently functioning space. The floor plan shows two gates connecting this partitioned area to the Main Baggage Area, and one gate leading to the Baggage Master's Room. To the east of the Baggage Area, facing the Grand Hall, small rooms were provided for the baggage cashier and the watch inspector. Each of these offices was entered through the Baggage Area. The western part of the area was occupied by two rectangular offices: a police room and a Union Pacific Railroad office. An L-shaped hallway linked the police room, elevators, and stairway with the entrance to the Baggage Area.

By 1959, the date of the next complete floor plan of the west wing, the area had been. substantially altered. The baggage counter was still open, but the size of the Baggage Area was reduced. The J.H. Mace Company had absorbed a large L-shaped section in the southeast corner. The stairs in the southeast corner had been reconfigured and were no longer accessible from the Baggage Area. In the southwest corner of the area, the former Union Pacific office had been enlarged and was occupied by the Baggage Master. The police room was still in place, but the adjoining hallway had been subdivided into small rooms and one of the elevators had been removed.

The area was reconfigured again after 1959 and today bears even less resemblance to its original condition. Several new partition walls divide the space. The floors in place today are a combination of tile, wood, and carpet. The walls and ceiling are primarily plaster. The basic form of the baggage counter is still intact, although none of the original folding bronze grills remain.

Barber Shop

Ushers' Room

Booth B: Fruit and Candy

A soda fountain was installed in the northern part of the Fruit and Candy Booth in 1921. As documented by station records and photographs, the Fred Harvey Company renovated the Fruit and Candy Booth at frequent intervals, and none of the original fittings remain today. In 1959, the soda fountain was replaced with a snack bar that extended beyond the original confines of Booth B into the North Waiting Room. The northwest corner of the booth became a kitchen to serve the snack bar. The southern part of the booth was extended forward into the Grand Hall, and the original display cases were dismantled. Today, the floor is a combination of resilient tile, marble, and concrete. The walls and the ceiling are plaster, with acoustic tile in some areas of the ceiling.

North Wing

North Waiting Room

The North Waiting Room is virtually intact to the original Jarvis Hunt design. The room is accessed by the monumental central arch of the Grand Hall's north wall. Inside this central coffered arch, the walls are pierced by second-story balconies supported by decorative brackets identical to those elsewhere in the Grand Hall. These door surrounds are capped by a rounded pediment lintel. In the late 1920s, signs reading "To Trains" were installed on the walls, just above the red marble wainscoting that continued from the Grand Hall through this arched passageway and around the perimeter of the North Waiting Room. Underneath the segmented arch, beneath the hanging clock, are two large openings, one on either side of the passageway. These large doorways originally provided access to the Fruit and Candy Booth on the west and the News and Books Booth on the east. They are framed by a rectangular foliated band, punctuated at the corners by large plain paterae. These door frame designs set the style for those of the North Waiting Room. A metal frame tympanum of vertical casement windows occupies the upper level of the door frame. On each side, above the door surrounds, is a torchiere-style sconce identical to those in the Grand Hall. At the center of the archway, the wall cladding changes from Kasota stone to architectural terra cotta, finished and glazed to match the color of the natural stone. Terra cotta is used for the cladding of the upper walls, above the marble base, throughout the North Waiting Room. The evocative fixtures and detailing of this passage between the Grand Hall and the North Waiting Room are still extant.

The length of the North Waiting Room is divided into eight identical bays, each featuring a monumental segmental arch window above a foliated door surround. Cornice molding, which extended to the wainscot level, defines and frames the tripartite fenestration. The spandrels of each segmented arch window are decorated with paterae. Below each window is a projecting door surround. The square door head is crowned by a fluted decorative panel framed by corner blocks with paterae, below which dentilled brackets support a projecting cornice. A foliated border surrounds the gateway, which is characterized by an elaborate three-paneled, scalloped grille surmounting a tympanum panel flanked by two longer, plain, side panels. These plain side panels featured the departing train information; some of the panels were repainted in the mid 1990s in connection with the filming of a movie. The opening, which is surrounded by black marble, was secured by a heavy cast-iron gate ornamented with circular patterns.

At the end of the hall is a single window bay, identical to those of the side walls. Below the window, the signage, enclosed in a foliated frame, reads "Immigrants' Waiting Room." This sign was recently replicated for the movie filming done on site. The pedimented door surround is of marble, a continuation of the wainscot that encircles the entire room. On either side of the bay an original torchiere sconce is mounted.

The terra cotta of the North Waiting Room walls is articulated at each bay by a wide raised pilaster, inset with a rectangular geometric pattern culminating at each corner block with paterae. The plinth of the pilaster, marked by a double band, projects into the room. Mounted on the center of the pilasters are the same torchiere-style light fixtures as in the Grand Hall. Above each pilaster is a pair of decorative dentilled brackets that form part of the pier capital. Above the cornice is a recessed area separating the cornice from the ceiling, a device invoked in the Grand Hall and used here on a smaller scale.

The handsome geometric plaster ceiling, less intricate than that of the Grand Hall, is divided into eight large coffers. Each coffer, which stretches from east to west following the pattern of the bays, features a tripartite configuration of a recessed square flanked by two recessed rectangular panels. These panels are enclosed by a stylized band of fascia's with rosette corner blocks. The pink and yellow dolomitic limestone floor is laid in a geometric pattern of polychromatic marble quite similar to that of the Grand Hall. Both the floor and the ceiling are still intact, although the ornamental plaster ceiling has deteriorated.

Railway correspondence suggests that the seats, 44 "type A" mahogany settees, were supplied by the American Fixture Company. The "type A" seating consisted of two benches that shared a single back with rounded armrests at either end, consonant with that which ultimately was installed in the North Waiting Room. Sketches of the station during construction, which were published in the newspaper, indicated that the arrangement of seating was to feature banks of settees running down the sides of the room and single benches arranged lengthwise down the center aisle of the room. There is no indication, however, from floor plans or early photographs that this arrangement was ever instituted. Historic photographs taken shortly after the building was opened reveal that the benches were arranged in rows running perpendicular to the length of the room, leaving the center aisle open. Each row location was set by the location of the large cast-iron enclosed radiators that heated the room. Benches were placed with a radiator aligned at the end of each row. By 1927, a news booth had been erected in the center of the room. In 1939, the booth was remodeled or otherwise improved. It was still visible in the middle of the principal aisle in a 1957 partial floor plan; by 1966, however, the booth had been removed." The room today, while mostly empty, still retains nearly all of its decorative finishes as well as important elements such as the torchiere sconces, the radiators, and the gateways to the Midways.

East and West Midway Vestibules

East and West Midways

The East and West Midways reflect Hunt's original design with few exceptions. The exterior wall of each of the Midways was punctuated with two rows of windows. Just above floor level were seven openings. Rectangular wood double-hung windows occupied the majority of these openings. Two door openings from the West Midway and one from the East Midway led to escalators. Higher on the wall, seven sets of large tripartite casement windows flooded the midways with sunlight.

Between the windows and the stairways, a row of eight brick piers, capped with plaster cornices, supported the ceiling. The wails were buff-colored brick, selected to match the North Waiting Room terra cotta and trimmed with decoratively laid stretchers and headers, while the ceiling was plaster. Simple metal light fixtures, still extant, were mounted on the ceiling. A plaster cornice, identical to the top of the piers, joined the walls and the ceiling. The floor is grey Tennessee marble. Wide cast-iron stairs led directly to the trains and track below. The painted iron balustrade surrounding the metal stairways was cast in a geometric star pattern.

The only large fittings in the East and West Midways were the small vestibules that stood against the entrances from the North Waiting Room. These one-story rectangular booths were made of cast iron, painted to match the balustrades. Each booth had rectangular windows of wire glass, and a wood door that opened onto the Midway. On either side of each vestibule, narrow wood doors led to tiny booths used for changing the signs in the North Waiting Room.

Today, the East and West Midways remain as originally constructed. Additional doorways were cut in the lower windows of the East Midway to accommodate escalators, but the escalators have since been removed. Despite these changes, most of the original finishes are still intact, and Hunt's original circulation pattern remains clear.

Basket Lunch Room and Immigrants' Waiting Room

The Basket Lunch Room, which was located immediately south of the Immigrants' Waiting Room, was also a two-story rectangular space. The Basket Lunch Room had only one doorway, which opened on to the north end of the North Waiting Room. The only exterior tight shone through a small band of mezzanine-level windows that caught the daylight through the adjoining Immigrants' Waiting Room to the north. The marble-topped lunch counter protruded from the north wall. As in the Immigrants' Waiting Room, the walls were buff-colored brick with a plaster cornice. The ceiling was also plaster. The floor was Tennessee grey marble. Electric lights were suspended from the ceiling. The Basket Lunch Room was furnished with small marble-topped tables and wooden chairs.

The Immigrants' Waiting Room and Basket Lunch Room do not retain the integrity of their original design. The Immigrants' Waiting Room was converted to an employee Lunchroom in 1927. By 1952, the Basket Lunch Room, originally used by passengers carrying their own lunches, had been converted into a military dining room. The brick partition wall between the two rooms was removed before 1966, when the Circle Theater occupied the space.

The rather barren brick finish of the immigrants' Waiting Room and the Basket Lunch Room reflected not only the status of the passengers who used the facilities, but also the flexibility of Hunt's original plan. As shown in an early site plan, the north end of the station was designed to accommodate future northward expansion. However, the station was never extended, and the space remains one of the less hospitable public areas in the building.

Isolation Room and Toilets

First-Floor Mezzanine

Hunt's 1912 floor plan of the first-floor mezzanine, and the plans for the Harvey spaces, are probably the best guide to the original layout of the floor. Hunt's 1912 plan shows mezzanine-level space in the east and west wings, around the edges of the Grand Hall, and at the north end of the North Waiting Room.

West Wing

Although the occupants of the west wing of the first-floor mezzanine changed over the years, the space was not as heavily altered as some other areas of the station. A 1969 floor plan shows the space previously earmarked for the Emergency Hospital in use as office space. The Parcel Check Room mezzanine and bathing rooms were also converted at an unspecified date, and were occupied by the International Business Machines Corporation (I.B.M.) at the time of the floor plan. The north part of the wing, however, was almost unchanged, with the Station Master's Office still overlooking the Grand Hall to the south.

East Wing

The first-floor mezzanine of the east wing was altered quite frequently to accommodate the needs of the Fred Harvey Company. Station correspondence documents the 1927 enlargement of the Beauty Shop, which was located above the Women's Retiring Room, in the space occupied by the Women's Bath Room. The Beauty Shop was enlarged to incorporate the former Harvey female employee locker room to the south and the mezzanine floor was expanded over part of the women's toilets. New booths and fixtures were installed during this renovation. In 1936, correspondence files show that a new stairway was added in the northeast corner of the Harvey Lunch Counter below, and that unspecified areas of the Harvey space were refinished with tile walls and floors. In the late 1930s, the kitchen was converted to an additional dining room and office space was added above the new Westport Room. A partial floor plan dating from 1943 shows the Balcony Lunch Room still in place, adjoining the Knotty Pine Room against the east wall of the station. The same plan shows the Beauty Shop immediately to the east of the upper part of the Women's Waiting Room, fitted with nine individual booths around the north and east walls. The southeast corner of the wing was occupied by office space. A 1957 record of station renovations mentions the addition of a partition wall in the balcony area, and other small alterations were probably made throughout the years.

The first-floor mezzanine no longer maintains the integrity of its original design. Due to changes in use, most of the former Harvey spaces have been altered beyond recognition. The Beauty Shop, however, retains a cast metal balustrade on the stairwell to the first floor, and original wood-framed windows to the exterior.

North and South Sections

Upper Floors

Each floor was finished with essentially the same materials. Tile and marble were used for the flooring and base in the corridors, and oak was used for the floors in the offices. Chair rails, door and window frames, baseboards, and trim were all stained and varnished oak. Doors were fitted throughout with nicely finished cast bronze/brass hardware. According to station records, the color scheme for the office wings was agreed upon in May 1914 by John Hanna, Chief Engineer, and A.H. Buckley, Superintendent for the Architect. Rooms with chair rails were to be painted in three shades, with the darkest below the chair rail, and the lightest at the ceiling. It was decided that spaces without chair rails would have a monochromatic paint scheme on the main wall portion, with lighter ceilings. Restroom facilities on each floor used the same design and materials, varying only in size and location. A typical toilet contained a white ceramic tile floor with a black and grey border, marble wainscot 7' high, and plaster walls and ceilings above the marble. No other decorative elements were contained in these areas.

No historic photographs of the upper floors have been located. Detailed descriptions of each of the floors, based upon observation and still existing documentation, follow. Because less is known about the historic appearance of these spaces than is known about the first floor, the focus is on the current appearance, with references to historic features and uses included where known.

Second Floor

Doors leading into the corridors from the balconies are made of oak and have clear glass transom windows with central panels of frosted glass. These doors are set into a carved-stone shouldered architrave with a heavy keystone centered above the door and transom. A segmented pediment, also of stone, is located above the architrave. Each balcony has a marble floor, and an ornamental metal guardrail runs along the edge of each balcony.

At the southeast and southwest corners of the headhouse, connected Lo the balconies, are two stairs that service the east and west wings, respectively. The stairs are cast iron with concrete treads and wood handrails. The surrounding elevator lobby and corridors to the office wings have white hexagonal tile flooring with plaster walls and a white marble base. On each wing to the east and west of the headhouse, these corridors run in a square separating the inner offices, which surround a central light court, from the outer offices. At the base of each light court is a skylight, which served to illuminate the Carriage Concourse Lobby and the Harvey Lunch Counter. The offices, which were primarily used by the Harvey Company and railway employees, have had varying levels of alteration.

Typical finishes on the second floor include plaster walls, with oak base, chair rail, and crown molding. Many of the offices were equipped with sinks in adjoining washrooms. Most of the doors are wood frame, with a central panel of frosted glass. Storage vaults on the floors have steel doors and steel frames, but the interiors were simply finished with concrete floors and undecorated plaster walls and ceilings. Oak was used for the floors in the offices; Vermont White marble was used for the 12-inch-high base in the corridors. The chair rails, transoms, and frames were all varnished oak, and each office door had the same brass lock set with hinges and kick plates.

The west wing was originally divided into offices lining the outside of the wing, as well as the inside of the wing (these look out into the light court). According to the original plans, the outside offices were to be divided into two rooms, one facing the hail (the anteroom) and the office, which was accessed by walking through the anteroom. By 1925, however, most of the anterooms had been combined with the offices to provide single office use. Tenants of the west wing offices included the President of the KCTRY, the General Superintendent, the auditing department, and the engineering staff.

The east wing was similarly divided into offices and later converted into single-use offices. The spaces in the east wing were composed mostly of the Fred Harvey Company offices and storage for that group. The 1913 revised plan shows the auditing department, purchasing department, and the stenographers' room located in the east wing.

The office doors now in place are similar to those located on the balconies leading into the corridors. These doors, frames, and transoms are oak with central panels of frosted glass in the door. Three vaults were located in the west wing and one in the east wing, according to the 1913 plan. Each vault used in Union Station was similar, with the same heavy steel vestibule doors, and a solid steel frame painted a deep forest green. A combination lock and safe handle was on the outside of each door. The safes were manufactured by Harrigan Safe Company of Kansas City.

Harvey Office

Wood paneling throughout this office consists of an oak baseboard and paneled wainscot 6' high in addition to the wooden window trim/sash and the wood trim piece below the plaster crown molding. An oak beamed ceiling and quarter-sawn oak floors complete the wood details of this office. In the northeast corner of the room a door, set flush into the paneling, leads into a small washroom.

Third Floor

The offices were all of a basic design. Doors from the corridor leading into the offices were typically oak with a central panel of frosted glass and transom windows above. Doors between the interior offices were solid panel doors and did not have transoms. All of the hardware for the doors is the same as the hardware used throughout the station.

The interior of the offices included a wood floor, oak chair rails, and picture molding. A wood base along the floor concealed a wire duct. Each office was also often equipped with a small washroom and built-in wood cabinets. Toilet rooms were located in the far corners of the east and west wings and maintained the same finishes as those of the second floor.

The offices located in the west wing were almost all reserved for the exclusive use of the telephone and telegraph operators, as well as their supervisors. Other offices were used for accountants, building engineers, and blueprint storage. Offices on the third floor, east wing were typically reserved for the various railroad companies operating out of Kansas City Union Station. These included the Pullman, Santa Fe, and Chicago & Alton railroad companies.

The extant vaults that line the outside walls of the east and west wings feature a heavy steel vestibule door in a solid steel frame painted a deep forest green. A combination lock and safe handle is on the outside of the door. The safe manufacturer was Harrigan Safe Company of Kansas City. The interiors of the storage/vault rooms had concrete floors with tie partitions, the utilitarian nature of the materials matching their functions.

Fourth Floor

Fifth Floor

Sixth Floor

Attic Space

Sub-Basement

Functioning as a service and support facility, the sub-basement remains undivided and generally open, with a limited number of partitioned areas confined to the perimeters of this level. The majority of this space was dedicated for handling mail and baggage. The major tenant at this level, the U.S. Postal Service, used the facility to sort railroad-bound mail. This mail was delivered through a series of chutes that occupied three of the southern window bays in the building's east wing. In 1927, a major mail handling system was installed at this level, complete with conveyor belts, platforms, chutes, and a partial mezzanine floor. By 1935, the sub-basement was enlarged to accommodate additional postal activities generated by the construction of a new U.S. Post Office directly across the street from the station in 1933. Because the south tunnel appears in later drawings to extend toward the new post office, it is likely that it was added at this time to improve the ever-expanding postal services, making the delivery, sorting, and loading of mail onto trains much more efficient.

Basement

The open, central space comprising much of the basement level's interior was designated for use as a baggage and mail room. The majority of this space was two levels, extending into the basement mezzanine level. Partition walls at this level were constructed of a variety of materials, including brick, plaster, and plywood. The flooring was primarily diagonally laid wood, with concrete and quarry tile designated for certain areas. As in the sub-basement, most of the remaining finishes were concrete. The lower portion of the concrete piers in the baggage-handling area were clad with protective steel casing.

Basement Mezzanine

As noted earlier, the central, open space comprising much of the basement mezzanine functioned as the upper part of the Baggage Room located on the basement level. Partitioned spaces running west to east along the north wall included a fan room in the end pavilion, a white trainmen's room, a colored trainmen's room, and a bathroom and toilet area. The toilet area featured two separate stall areas, presumably one for "white" men and the other for "colored" men. A west service hall connected these west wing areas to the ushers' and gate men's lockers. An east service hall then connected these lockers to the Basket Lunch Room, Toilet Rooms, the Women and Children's Waiting Room, and a fan room. The service halls and the ushers' and gate men's locker rooms were lined to the south by a conductors' locker room, a conductors' lounging room, a baggage foreman room, and two unassigned spaces. Many of the rooms along the north wall of the basement mezzanine level overlooked the basement level through wood-framed sash windows. The central elevator bank did not extend to this level, but a single freight elevator was located immediately south of the baggage foreman's room and additional stair halls were added within the partitioned spaces to offer increased circulation.

Support areas for the Commissary wing lined the east wall. A wine storage room, flour room, and linen room were located immediately west of this wing, extending approximately four bays into the central open space. According to the 1912 plans, a bakery, complete with over sized. ovens and a complex duct and ventilation system, occupied the southeast corer of the basement mezzanine level. A fan room was located immediately west of the bakery, occupying the second, third, and fourth bays of the east wing's south wall. A large, rectangular ticket stock room occupied the central bay of the south wall's central block. This stock room was located directly beneath the elaborate first-floor Ticket Office. A small stair hall connected this stock room to the ticket booth above.

The Commissary Wing

Mechanical Systems

Air conditioning was installed in the restaurant and lunchroom in 1934 and in the Fred Harvey office area in 1949, but little else is known about subsequent alterations to the mechanical systems.

Site Description

The Station Plaza

Absent from this early rendering are a series of covered shelters that Jarvis Hunt included in previous schemes for the Station Plaza. A preliminary review of drawings depicting these shelters, which were never constructed, revealed that the shelters greatly resembled the cast-iron and glass marquees that currently protrude from the two main entry bays. Based on the drawing reviewed, it appears that Hunt intended for at least one of the shelters to be placed along the west side of Main Street between the Main Street Viaduct and the intersection of Main Street and Pershing Road.

The most definitive set of plans produced for the plaza area appeared during the early and mid-1930s. A series of plans dated February 1930, January 1934, and March 1936 proposed substantial changes to Hunt's earlier scheme. The 1930 plan proposed a large pear-shaped common directly on axis with the station's central bay. This plan suggests that the central common was elevated; two separate levels of steps appear to be placed on axis at its north and south ends. The common was immediately bordered by a circular drive that fronted onto Pershing Road. To either side of the circular drive were large paved areas designated for parking spaces. A taxicab driveway circled the east parking lot along its eastern edge, suggesting that upon entering the station at Pershing Road, taxicabs were directed around the parking lots toward the main entrance. It appears that all other traffic was directed to the east and west parking lots. Curbing appears to border each section and a "shelter" is designated at the southeast corner of the station along Main Street. To date, there has been no documentation to indicate that this plan was executed.

Not long after the 1930 proposal was prepared, a much more elaborate scheme for the plaza appeared in the Kansas City Times. On January 25^th, 1934, the Times featured an article on the "beautifycation" [sic] of Union Station Plaza and Pershing Road. The article suggests that improvements to the station were to be made as a result of, and in tandem with, the widening of Pershing Road. The plaza beautification efforts were being initiated by the KCTRY. According to the article, city officials and railroad executives, after much deliberation, both agreed on this plan. Under the proposed plan, the roadway in front of the station would curve southward at the east end and enter at Pershing Road instead of Main Street. The present Main Street entrance would be closed. "Motor cats going to the station entrances would have to approach from Pershing Road. If they approached from the west, they would have to circle the central park in front of the station in order to be in the correct traffic lane." The article goes on to indicate that a street-car shelter, currently on Main Street, would be moved south so that Main Street could be converted into a straight thoroughfare. A taxicab parking area would remain at the station's east end, and parking spaces for other cars would be provided at the west end of the plaza near the Broadway viaduct.

If implemented as planned, the most interesting feature of the new plaza would have been additional ornamentation and shrubbery to beautify a "central park" in the center of the plaza. This oval-shaped park would mun in an east-west direction and include triangular sections that would create new interior roadways and sidewalks. An island would also border Pershing Road. Despite the fact that no documentation has been found to date to indicate that this plan was executed, the Times article is concluded by a statement that reads: "The Terminal Company plans to carry out is part of the agreement to beautify the plaza … the date when work will be started is undecided."

Just two years later, in 1936, a revised plan, on file at the Kansas Collection, University of Kansas Libraries, proposed a new scheme for the plaza. Most similar in design to the proposal presented in 1930, the 1936 plan presented a pear-shaped central common, this time divided into two sections: an elongated oval immediately south of the station, and a modified semicircular tip meeting Pershing Road. These separate sections, which the drawings indicate are bordered on all sides by a wall, appear to have been reserved as landscaped areas. A circular drive, with what appears to be entry and exit access from Pershing Road, bordered each landscaped section. A large paved section, presumably also for automobile traffic, separated the two sections. The remaining plaza is occupied by east and west parking lots that appear to be bordered along Pershing Road and Main Street by a substantial property wall. The 1936 plan does not include an entrance from Main Street, but does indicate that a small shelter has been placed along the west side of Main Street just south of the station. A photograph taken of the station between 1936 and 1940 indicates that this scheme eventually was executed by the KCTRY.

Other Site Elements

The Rail Express and Adams Express Buildings, also designed by Jarvis Hunt and constructed in conjunction with the station, survive largely intact, immediately to the west of the station. The Rail Express Building appears in early photographs as a long, angled appendage to the station building, adjoining its west elevation. The original physical connection between the station and the Rail Express Building at the basement level was severed during the 1986 construction of Two Pershing Square, a fourteen-story office building located immediately cast of the station on what was once the east rail yard. A portion of the Rail Express building was demolished to provide vehicle access and circulation to the Two Pershing Square garage and loading docks. The original connections between the Station building, the Rail Express Building, and the Adams Express Building at the sub-basement level remain intact.

Immediately west of the Railway Express Building is the Adams Express Building, which, though designed and constructed as a freestanding structure, is identical in design to the Rail Express Building. The Broadway Viaduct, a major north-south artery that ran parallel to Main Street, once bisected the west rail yard between the Adams and Rail Express Buildings. The Broadway Viaduct was demolished by the Kansas City Railway Terminal Company in 1984.

The Station Site's Surroundings

Despite the demolition of portions of the Railway Express Building to the west and a large portion of the Commissary extension to the east, Kansas City Union Station stands virtually intact along its exterior. Although the removal of the rail yard and several of its supporting structures has somewhat compromised its physical context, the station retains its massive, monumental presence.