Union Station Construction Digital Collection | KC History

September 21, 2017

If you've ever wondered what it took to build Kansas City's Union Station, we have some interesting news.

Missouri Valley Special Collections recently finished digitizing a set of photographs that illustrate the early construction of Union Station. The collection includes 49 photos taken in 1910 and 1911, during the initial phases of excavation and construction by the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company. Also included are images of the city’s surrounding rail and freight yard network. Building a larger station in a different part of town meant expanding old tracks and building new ones, transporting construction materials where needed, and diverting existing infrastructure. An itemized inventory of the collection can be found in the P41 Union Station Construction Photographs finding aid.

Construction site from Terminalex Warehouse (approximately at Broadway and Pershing) — View from Terminal Warehouse at 24th and Broadway

Children examine the sewer diversion project at 9th and Hardesty — Children inspect the sewer diversion project at 9th and Hardesty

Purchase of this collection was made possible by the generous contributions of the MVR Club. Thank you!

Looking for more? An extensive collection of Kansas City Terminal Railway Company photographs and records is available at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas.