I went by Union Station to check out the renovations to the train shed; the hotel is taking over a portion of the Midway (the long thoroughfare where travelers once accessed train platforms) for additional meeting rooms.
As can be seen below, the work has already begun; I support this, as there is no reason to have such a large area of the train shed sit empty.
Back in the day, there was a giant glass window that shielded people from the grit of the train shed, but it supposedly was sold off for scrap during World War II.
I’m still amazed by the Great Hall, with its incredible decoration; the renovation should keep this hotel as a great showpiece for visitors to St. Louis. I think that converting the entire train shed into a convention center, freeing up valuable downtown real estate, would be a great idea.
Just look at this ornamentation! What a special place to have here in St. Louis.
Just for the heck of it, I finally looked up the Sanborn maps for the station, and they are impressive:
