Union Station (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Union Station is a historic train station
at Grant Street and Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
in the United States
.
s built in the U.S. to serve the needs of more than one railroad, this facility connected the Pennsylvania Railroad
with several subsidiary lines; for that reason it was renamed in 1912 to match other Pennsylvania Station
s.
The station building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham
and built 1898–1903. The materials were a grayish-brown terra cotta
that looked like brownstone
, and brick
. Though Burnham is regarded more as a planner and organizer rather than a designer of details, which were left to draftsmen like Peter Joseph Weber, the most extraordinary feature of the monumental train station
is his: the rotunda
with corner pavilions. At street level the rotunda
sheltered turning spaces for carriage
s beneath wide low vaulted spaces that owed little to any historicist style. Above, the rotunda sheltered passengers in a spectacular waiting room
. Burnham's firm went on to complete more than a dozen projects in Pittsburgh, some on quite prominent sites. The rotunda is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The restoration of Union Station in the mid-1980s converted the office tower into apartments, and is now called The Pennsylvanian which opened to residents on May 23, 1988. The concourse, which is no longer open to the public, was transformed into a lobby for commercial spaces on the ground floor and the paint cleaned off the great central skylight.
's Pennsylvanian
route and is along the Capitol Limited
route. Until 2005, Pittsburgh was served by a third daily train, the Three Rivers
(a replacement service for the legendary Broadway Limited
), an extended version of the Pennsylvanian that terminated in Chicago
. Upon its cancellation, the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Limited marked the first time in Pittsburgh's railway history that the city was served by just two daily passenger trains.
Union Station's Amtrak station code is PGH.
opened a spur to Penn Park station in 1988, to link the 1985 downtown subway to the East Busway. However, the line was difficult to integrate into other services, since it utilized a portion of an old single tracked former Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel. This tunnel travels beneath the offices of United States Steel, and the building's structural supports are on each side of the tunnel, prohibiting the installation of a second track. The station is still listed as part of the Red Line subway service but has had no regular service since 1993. As late as 2001, the line would only see, if any, up to two afternoon rush hour trains. It is not clear as to why service on this line was discontinued, but it is likely attributed to the aforementioned infrastructure limitations as well as limited ridership. Moreover, Penn Station is within the boundary of Port Authority's "Free Fare Zone," therefore service to the station does not generate any additional revenue.
The station continues to be used in extremely limited circumstances, including usage as part of the Port Authority's detoured transportation routes following Super Bowl XLV
on 6 February 2011.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
at Grant Street and Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Unlike many union stationUnion station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...
s built in the U.S. to serve the needs of more than one railroad, this facility connected the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
with several subsidiary lines; for that reason it was renamed in 1912 to match other Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station is a label first applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals.-New York City:...
s.
The station building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
and built 1898–1903. The materials were a grayish-brown terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
that looked like brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
, and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
. Though Burnham is regarded more as a planner and organizer rather than a designer of details, which were left to draftsmen like Peter Joseph Weber, the most extraordinary feature of the monumental train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
is his: the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
with corner pavilions. At street level the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
sheltered turning spaces for carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s beneath wide low vaulted spaces that owed little to any historicist style. Above, the rotunda sheltered passengers in a spectacular waiting room
Waiting room
A waiting room is a building, or more commonly a part of a building where people sit or stand until the event they are waiting for occurs.There are generally two types of waiting room. One is where individuals leave one at a time, for instance at a doctor's office or a hospital, or outside a school...
. Burnham's firm went on to complete more than a dozen projects in Pittsburgh, some on quite prominent sites. The rotunda is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The restoration of Union Station in the mid-1980s converted the office tower into apartments, and is now called The Pennsylvanian which opened to residents on May 23, 1988. The concourse, which is no longer open to the public, was transformed into a lobby for commercial spaces on the ground floor and the paint cleaned off the great central skylight.
Current passenger service
Union Station continues to serve as an active railway station, but through a smaller passenger area on the Liberty Avenue side of the building. It is the western terminus of AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian (Amtrak)
The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile daytime Amtrak train running between New York and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel through Pennsylvania's capital, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and pass through New Jersey up to New York. Trains run once daily in...
route and is along the Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Capitol Limited is one of the railroad's two routes connecting Washington, D.C. to Chicago, running via Cleveland, Ohio . Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak...
route. Until 2005, Pittsburgh was served by a third daily train, the Three Rivers
Three Rivers (Amtrak)
The Three Rivers was a daily Amtrak train running between New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. It operated via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Akron, Ohio. The Three Rivers replaced the Broadway Limited in 1995...
(a replacement service for the legendary Broadway Limited
Broadway Limited
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...
), an extended version of the Pennsylvanian that terminated in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Upon its cancellation, the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Limited marked the first time in Pittsburgh's railway history that the city was served by just two daily passenger trains.
Union Station's Amtrak station code is PGH.
Penn station (PAT station)
The Port AuthorityPort Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...
opened a spur to Penn Park station in 1988, to link the 1985 downtown subway to the East Busway. However, the line was difficult to integrate into other services, since it utilized a portion of an old single tracked former Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel. This tunnel travels beneath the offices of United States Steel, and the building's structural supports are on each side of the tunnel, prohibiting the installation of a second track. The station is still listed as part of the Red Line subway service but has had no regular service since 1993. As late as 2001, the line would only see, if any, up to two afternoon rush hour trains. It is not clear as to why service on this line was discontinued, but it is likely attributed to the aforementioned infrastructure limitations as well as limited ridership. Moreover, Penn Station is within the boundary of Port Authority's "Free Fare Zone," therefore service to the station does not generate any additional revenue.
The station continues to be used in extremely limited circumstances, including usage as part of the Port Authority's detoured transportation routes following Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
on 6 February 2011.
Port Authority bus connections
- 1, 11, 14, 39, 40, 44, P1, P2, G2 P7, P10, P12, P13, P16, P17, P67, P68, P69, P71, P78,
Suburban transit connections
- Beaver County Transit AuthorityBeaver County Transit AuthorityThe Beaver County Transportation Authority is the operator of mass transportation in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Seven routes are provided, all of which serve the southern and central portions of the county, which are incorporated into suburban Pittsburgh.-Routes:The agency provides three...
Routes 1, 3, & 4 - Fayette Area Coordinated TransportationFayette Area Coordinated TransportationFayette Area Coordinated Transportation, known by the moniker of FACT, is a public transportation service located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It provides inter-city bus and paratransit service to select communities within the county...
Commuter - Mid Mon Valley Transit AuthorityMid Mon Valley Transit AuthorityMid Mon Valley Transit Authority is a public transportation service located in Washington County, Westmoreland County, and a small portion of Fayette County in Pennsylvania. It provides inter-city bus and paratransit service to select communities within the area...
Route A - New Castle Area Transit AuthorityNew Castle Area Transit AuthorityNew Castle Area Transit Authority is a public transportation service located in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. It provides inter-city bus and paratransit service to select communities within the county...
Route 71 - Washington City TransitWashington City TransitWashington City Transit is the designation for bus services in the urbanized portion of central Washington County, Pennsylvania. Three routes are designed to serve Washington, Pennsylvania, an edge city and a key location of both business parks and shopping amenities...
Commuter & Commuter Express - Westmoreland County Transit AuthorityWestmoreland County Transit AuthorityThe Westmoreland County Transit Authority is the operator of mass transportation in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Using 35 buses, a total of 18 routes are operated, the majority of which serve the urbanized corridor that makes up the western portion of the county...
Routes 1 & 4