A landmark, a backdrop, a meeting point, a destination...
Union Station serves a distinct purpose for people accross Kansas City. On Nov. 10, 2024, the region will mark the 25th anniverary of Union Station's revitalization.
Backdrop of big events
Some of city's most memorable moments have taken place at Union Station over the past decade.
One of the biggest was the Royals World Series celebration in 2015. An estimated 800,000 people gathered downtown, and around 200,000 were outside Union Station.
Five years later, Kansas City would do it again - this time in red. Chiefs fans showed up in droves to celebrate the team's first Super Bowl championship in almost 50 years.
In April 2023, the entire NFL world descended upon Union Station for the 2023 NFL Draft. More than 300,000 people gathered at Union Station and 54 million people tuned in to watch on TV.
The following February brought another Chiefs celebration, but also tragedy. A shooting happened outside the rally's security perimeter, just off the Union Station grounds.
Some people took refuge inside the iconic building. Twenty-three people were shot and one person, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, died.
Adriana Galvan, Lisa's daughter, returned to Union Station in October 2024 for the unveiling of a portrait dedicated to her mom.
“I think putting her in the welcoming entrance definitely shows a lot of her symbolism as just a person in general, and it shows how big she was in our community, too," Adriana said.
Union Station is also a place of education. Starting in November 2021, it hosted an exhibit called "Auschwitz: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away." More than 350,000 people from all 50 states and 11 countries visited the Holocaust exhibit.
The Bi-State Tax
Union Station's revival never would have happened without a historic bi-state vote.
Lisa Adkins was the first chairperson of the Bi-State Commission formed after the tax passed in 1996.
"The reason that bi-state tax proposal was formed was that really that project was just too large for any one city, any one county to handle the scope of the renovation required," she said.
Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Johnson counties voted in favor of the one-eighth cent sales tax. Wyandotte County voted against it.
The tax ultimately collected $118 million for renovations and the creation of Science City. The tax ended in 2002, five years after it went into effect.
Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says the tax could be resurrected if projects warrant and voters approve it.
"If it’s a good project, if it’s solid, and the picture can be painted clearly for the voters on the value, I think it will happen," he said.
The Bi-State Commission still exists to ensure that future development and use of Union Station follow the Union Station Master Plan that was adopted when voters approved the tax.
Note: Find the slider in the middle and drag up and down to compare then vs now
A hub of Kansas City
Union Station is more than just a destination in its own right; it's also attracting small businesses to the heart of downtown and reshaping the way we connect.
Parisi Coffee says its Union Station location is one of its busiest.
"Everyone comes to Union Station when they come visit Kansas City for the first time," Joe Paris, president of Parisi Coffee, said. "The attractions here are getting bigger and bigger and better and better. And you know, everyone wants to come and see what we have."
Fueling a new wave of customers for Parisi and Union Station is the Kansas City Streetcar. As the historic center of transportation in Kansas City, Union Station was a natural hub for the streetcar.
"It's the busiest stop on the streetcar route," Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, said. "It pushes a lot of traffic to the streetcar and we push a lot of traffic to Union Station and it's been a great partnership."
With more extension routes coming, Union Station will truly become the hub that keeps Kansas City moving.
"Union Station is in the near future, not going to be the end of line. It's going to be the middle of line," Gerend said. "So it's going to be really the bridge from downtown to Midtown and the plaza and UMKC."
The future of Union Station
The heart and soul of Union Station are the people who keep it going - like Sherry Tyhurst. She has worked at Science City, inside Union Station, since 2000, right after it reopened.
"I really care about the place I live, the place I work, and the people that work here," Tyhurst said.
Tyhurst has watched the place she loves evolve and has no doubt it will continue to do so.
George Guastello, president and CEO of Union Station, agrees.
"When you think of the opportunities of children just coming in with their parents, laying on the floor, and looking up at our own Sistine Chapel and having that moment, it is passing those stories from one generation to another," he said.
Every hat, t-shirt and ticket bought at Union Station goes into making sure the landmark continues to light up the metro for years to come.
"We’re just a simple not-for-profit," he said. "Every dollar that the community came and spent stayed here and allowed us to spend over the last 15 years well over 20 million dollars and reinvesting in the business."
Only time will tell what Union Station looks like after 25 more years, but one thing is certain: it will be up to the people of the Kansas City metro to shape its future.
Historical footage of Union Station's renovations
In the course of compiling information, footage and photos for this project, we went through the KSHB 41 archives from the mid 1990s, when KSHB 41 was just establishing its news operation.
KSHB 41 executive reporter Ryan Takeo compiled several of those clips into a YouTube video you can explore by chapter in the YouTube video player below.
Credits and acknowlegements
Graphics by KSHB 41 Creative Services Department. Union Station interactive timeline by Callie Counsellor, KSHB 41. Royals parade photo by Reed Hoffmann, Associated Press. Chiefs parade photo by Charlie Riedel, Associated Press. NFL Draft photo by Steve Luciano, Associated Press. Chiefs parade shooting photo from KSHB 41. Lisa Lopez-Galvan memorial photo from KSHB 41. Photo of Halocaust exhibit provided by Jose Barea. Pierponts photo by Roy Inman. Streetcar map provided by KC Streetcar. Web layout by Sam Hartle, KSHB 41.