Union Station

Significance

Commissioned in 1909 by the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company, Union Station was designed by Warren and Wetmore, the New York firm that later designed Grand Central Terminal. It opened on March 1, 1911 and was dedicated on March 2, 1911. Built with exterior walls of granite, limestone and terra cotta and an interior finished in marble, it cost roughly five times its original estimate of one million dollars. At the time, Houston was served by seventeen railways and was considered the main rail hub of the South. Construction required clearing notable sites, including the residence of Horace Baldwin Rice and the synagogue of Adath Yeshurun Congregation. After passenger rail declined and service moved elsewhere, the station was preserved as the front entrance and cornerstone of the downtown ballpark that opened in 2000, now called Daikin Park. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a State Antiquities Landmark.

Climate risks tracked

Union Station's masonry walls are durable, but its setting on the east side of downtown, surrounded by rail yards, streets and paving, makes heat and runoff its everyday stresses. Intense rain overwhelms nearby storm drains, and water pooling against the base of the building can wick into stone and brick. Keeping grades sloped away from the walls and maintaining below grade drainage are the least visible protections. Its integration with the ballpark and its large retractable roof means hurricane planning covers the whole complex, not just the historic block. Roof edges, parapets and cornice elements on the 1911 station should be anchored and inspected before storm season. Because the building is a State Antiquities Landmark, changes to its exterior require review by the Texas Historical Commission.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1913 · Beaux-Arts

  Rice Hotel

• 1926 · Spanish Renaissance Revival

  Julia Ideson Building

• 1927 · Italian Renaissance Revival

  Niels Esperson Building

• 1924 · Commercial / Chicago School

  Sam Houston Hotel