Union Station, Washington, 100th anniversary

Union Station, Washington, postcard
Originally uploaded by rllayman

From email:

Today in History:

On Sunday, October 27,1907 the last B&O train departed from the New Jersey Ave. station (2:52 A.M. the "Duquesne Limited" for Pittsburgh) and the 1st train arrived (B&O train #10 6:50 A.M. from Pittsburgh) into the partially completed Union Station. The Old B&O station was abandoned and demolished between February 5 and March 15,1908 to the regret of no one at the time.

3 weeks later ......

On Sunday, November 17,1907, the 1st PRR trains operated in and out of Washington Union Station. The other rail lines from south also commenced usage at that time. The B&P station (also called Union Depot) and adjacent Mall trackage abandoned after last departure that morning. It wasn't until March 4,1908 that the keys to the old station were given to the Federal Government at 2:15 P.M. The station was demolished after August 1908 following a lengthy debate as to possible other uses, none of which materialized for a variety of reasons. On June 24,1908, the first street car service began operating to Union Station, more than 8 months after opening, compliments of DC City Commissioners.
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For some great writing about the history of Union Station, check out Bill Wright's in process dissertation, which he is sharing with the public, at Washington Union Station.

I didn't know, but he's giving a sold out talk as part of a National Railway Historical Society presentation this Saturday. Too bad it wasn't part of the DC Historical Studies Conference, also this weekend.