Union Station (Denver, Colorado)

Denver Union Station
Front of historic station building, facing Wynkoop St
Location	1701 Wynkoop Street 1600 Wewatta Street (RTD light rail) Denver, Colorado. United States
Coordinates	39°45′11″N 105°00′00″W / 39.75306°N 105.00000°W / 39.75306; -105.00000Coordinates: 39°45′11″N 105°00′00″W / 39.75306°N 105.00000°W / 39.75306; -105.00000
Owned by	RTD and partners
Platforms	2 side platforms, 3 island platforms (commuter rail and Amtrak) 1 side platform, 1 island platform (light rail)
Tracks	8 (commuter rail and Amtrak) 3 (light rail)
Bus stands	22
Connections	Thruway Motorcoach Regional highway coaches
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak code: DEN
History
Opened	1881
Rebuilt	1914, 2010–2014
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	139,652  10.5% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Fraser toward Emeryville California Zephyr Fort Morgan toward Chicago Winter Park, CO Terminus Winter Park Express (Winter season only) Terminus RTD Terminus A Line 38th & Blake toward Denver Airport B Line Westminster Terminus C Line Pepsi Center–Elitch Gardens toward Littleton–Mineral E Line Pepsi Center–Elitch Gardens toward Lincoln W Line Pepsi Center–Elitch Gardens toward JeffCo Gov Center–Golden   Former services   Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Terminus Denver Branch South Denver toward La Junta Denver Branch Major stations Colorado Springs toward La Junta Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Terminus Main Line Derby toward Chicago Union Station Rock Island Line Terminus Main Line Limon toward Chicago (LaSalle Street Station)
Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
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Location	17th St. at Wynkoop, Denver, Colorado
Area	25.1 acres (10.2 ha)
Built	1881
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival, Romanesque Revival
NRHP Reference #	74000571
CSRHP #	5DV.114
Added to NRHP	November 20, 1974

Denver Union Station is the main railway station and central transportation hub in Denver, Colorado. It is located at 17th and Wynkoop Streets in the present-day LoDo district and includes the historic terminal building, a train shed canopy, a 22-gate underground bus facility, and light rail station. A station opened on the site June 1, 1881, burning in 1894. The current structure was erected in two stages, with an enlarged central portion completed in 1914.

In 2012, the station underwent a major renovation transforming it into the centerpiece of a new transit-oriented mixed-use development built on the site's former rail-yards. The station house re-opened in the summer of 2014 as a combination of the 112-room Crawford Hotel, several restaurants and retailers, and a train hall.

Denver's first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental line at Cheyenne, Wyoming. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines (the Union Pacific, the Denver & Rio Grande Western, the Denver, South Park & Pacific, and the Colorado Central) agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City was hired to develop the plans and the station opened in May 1881.

However, a fire that started in the women's restroom in 1894 destroyed the central portion of the 1881 depot. The Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe was hired to design a larger replacement depot in the Romanesque Revival style. Both the 1881 and 1894 depots included a tall central clock tower with four clock faces.