thumbnail|right|Interior of the hotel

thumb|Hotel lobby and chandeliers

Nashville's Union Station is a former railroad terminal designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and Richard Montfort that was constructed beginning in 1898 and officially opened over two years later in 1900. Montfort - an engineer of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) - spent several years planning the building's construction, and it is now known for its striking Romanesque Revival architecture that stands out from other train stations of the time.

Built just west of the downtown area, it was spanned by a viaduct adjacent to the station and positioned to the east and above a natural railroad cut, through which most of the tracks in the area were routed. The station was also used by streetcars prior to their discontinuance in Nashville in 1941.

The last passenger train left the station in 1978, Union Station reopened as the "Union Station Hotel" in 1986 after being abandoned for several years. and completed a full renovation of all guest rooms and public spaces in 2016.

History

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) was the primary railroad operating routes through the Union Station. This line ran routes throughout the Southeastern U.S., eventually reaching some Midwestern hubs such as Chicago. A connecting passageway between the two was used to transport mail to and from trains for more than three decades.

The station reached peak usage during World War II when it served as the shipping-out point for tens of thousands of U.S. troops and was the site of a USO canteen. As the government increased construction of interstates and other highways - and the cost of the personal vehicle became more affordable - passenger services on the railways began to decline rapidly. The hotel plan was based on the use of "junk bond" financing, and the interest payments were so high the hotel required 90% occupancy at an average room rate of $135 per night to break even. This was not a supportable business model in the 1980s Nashville hotel market, and the project soon went bankrupt, calling the future of the station into question again. However, a new investor group bought the hotel in bankruptcy and was able to operate profitably without charging exorbitant room rates or requiring such a high occupancy rate due to the lower cost basis.

More problematic was the effort to find a modern use for the massive trainshed adjacent to the terminal building. Said to be the largest of its kind in the world at the time and an engineering masterpiece, the structure continued to deteriorate. Several suggested plans, including one to raise it up to street level (from the cut level) and turn it into a farmers' market, never came to fruition. A fire damaged the structure in 1996, and it was eventually demolished in late 2000 after several years of failing to come up with a viable preservation plan.

Since the site's conversion to a hotel in 1986, Union Station has undergone several renovations. The first occurred in 2007 and cost $11 million. An additional $1.9 million of upgrades were made in 2012 when the hotel became a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel.

The restoration led through the partnership of Southwest Value Partners and Gobbel Hays Partners focused on preserving the station’s historic Romanesque Revival architecture while incorporating modern elements.

The additional efforts of Historic Nasvhille, Inc. (HNI), beginning in 1975, were instrumental in the salvation and restoration of this important structure. The Junior League of Nashville, led by Fletch Coke, worked to organize a historical recount of the station, which culminated in the publication of Speaking of Union Station: An Oral History of a Nashville Landmark. The book was based on the interviews of 112 different individuals, ranging from travelers and local residents to railroad and station employees, and proceeds from its sale went to the Union Station Trust Fund.

Along with the adjoining trainshed, Union Station became a National Historic Landmark in 1976. However, its historical landmark status was withdrawn in 2003 due to the fire damage to the trainshed that occurred in 1996 and ultimately led to the demolition of that part of the property. for its local relevance to the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee.

Architecture and interior

The station is an example of late-Victorian Romanesque Revival architecture and has high towers and turrets that are reminiscent of a castle. The tower originally contained an early mechanical digital clock, but it was replaced by a traditional analog clock when replacement French silk drive belts became unavailable during World War I. The original bronze statue of the Roman god Mercury that sat on top of the tower was toppled in the Tornado outbreak of March 21–22, 1952 The station also featured some absurd attractions, for example, the infamous alligator pools that found their home in the train station's lobby.

See also

  • Dixiana (passenger train)
  • Dixie Flagler
  • Humming Bird (passenger train)
  • Pan-American (passenger train)
  • Tennessean (passenger train)

References

  • Article from Railway Age (1898) with floor plan