“Since Chicago Union Station opened 100 years ago, the station has grown to be the busiest in the city and the third most used in the nation.

“As one of Amtrak’s and Metra’s major hubs, serving 120,000 passengers daily, the station has also seen its share of history. During World War II, the famous Great Hall’s skylight was painted black to hide the building from potential bombers.

“The Great Hall — famous as the setting for the climax of the 1987 film “The Untouchables” — was recently renovated, making the station arguably better looking and more useful to travelers than when it was officially opened 100 years ago this month.

“The station’s storied past, and potential for future improvements, brought together Gov. JB Pritzker and transportation leaders to celebrate its centennial on Tuesday.

“‘Millions of passengers from across the globe have passed through these walls over that time,” Pritzker said in a news conference on a balcony of the Great Hall. ‘Whether coming from near or far, each of them have been welcomed to our city by this incredible building.”

“The idea for the station was laid out by famed architect Daniel Burnham, who developed the 1909 Plan of Chicago. The plan called for a central station that linked multiple modes of travel. Today, the station handles local Metra commuter trains, cross-country Amtrak trains, as well as Greyhound and other inter-city buses, and a connection to CTA buses.

“Burnham died in 1912, a year before construction on the station began. But his successors oversaw construction to the end — despite work being paused during World War I. The station opened after 12 years, costing more than $1.3 billion in today’s money.

“The concourse, east of the Great Hall, was demolished in 1968 to create a black, glass office tower that stands there today.

“The station is expected to get upgrades as part of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, or CHIP, to alleviate train congestion. The plan calls for repurposing mail loading platforms long unused under the Old Post Office, upgrading platforms and mezzanines and improving ventilation. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, Jennifer Mitchell, an executive vice president at Amtrak, told reporters Tuesday. (Struett, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/22/25)

Union Station is Chicago’s finest and last connection to an era and an industry that played a major role in Chicago’s growth and history. Union Station’s interior spaces and commuter experience have never recovered from the demolition of the soaring Union Station Concourse in 1969 immediately east of the Headhouse, to make way for an office building. Therefore, any changes to this important landmark must be handled with the utmost sensitivity.

Chicago Union Station is the last standing of Chicago’s seven great stations and deserves to be treated as the precious landmark that it is. Designated a Chicago Landmark in 2002, it was threated in 2018 with a major addition that would have had a profoundly adverse impact on the historic structure. Preservation Chicago played a leading role in preventing that proposal from moving forward. Additionally, we suggested to stakeholders and decisionmakers the historic building’s buildable FAR be transferred across the street to allow the new construction high-rise to grow taller. This win-win solution is the path that was ultimately chosen.

After Preservation Chicago declared Chicago Union Station a 2018 Most Endangered, and following months of extensive advocacy and the avalanche of negative press following the release of the proposed seven-story addition to the top of the Chicago Union Station, the developers dropped their plans for a rooftop addition. ‘The decision to jettison the original plan is a major victory for historic preservationists,’ wrote Blair Kamin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune.

During a well-attended community meeting on June 25, 2018 Ward Miller, Preservation Chicago Executive Director, received an enthusiastic round of applause when he said, ‘Rooflines, elevations, and interior volumes are protected under the Landmark Ordinance and we think you’re going to step over these lines. We’d like to see no building on top of this amazing station, and instead suggested transferring the additional floors to the new high-rise buildings proposed next door.’ (Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 6/26/18)

Preservation Chicago applauds Amtrak for their decades-long effort to renovate and reactive significant sections of Chicago’s Union Station. Preservation Chicago has worked closely with Amtrak’s design and construction team regarding restoration of the Great Hall, Metropolitan Lounge, Women’s Lounge, Men’s Lounge, former Barbershop, and Fred Harvey Restaurant space. We continue to advocate for the reactivation of the long-vacant upper office floors while retaining any remaining historic features.

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

• Chicago Union Station celebrates its 100th birthday; The idea for Chicago Union Station was laid out by famed architect Daniel Burnham, who developed the 1909 Plan of Chicago. The vision was for a hub that would link multiple modes of transportation. Today, the station is served by Metra, CTA, Amtrak and inter-city bus lines, David Struett, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/22/25
• Column: Union Station plans on the wrong track, Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, 6/26/18
• Developers unveil plan to build hotel, apartments atop Chicago’s Union Station, Jay Koziarz, Curbed Chicago, 6/26/18
• Chicago Union Station, a Preservation Chicago 2018 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
• Chicago Union Station 2002 Chicago Landmark Designation Report