Christmas at Union Station, Omaha

Card no 325 - Danielle

The Union Station, at 801 South 10th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, known also as Union Passenger Terminal, is "one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest."  Designated an Omaha Landmark in 1978, it was listed as "Union Passenger Terminal" on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.    It was the Union Pacific's first Art Deco railroad station, and the completion of the terminal "firmly established Omaha as an important railroad terminus in the Midwest."

Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood of Los Angeles, the current building features a steel frame structure that is clad with cream-colored glazed terra cotta.  Groundbreaking occurred on July 29, 1929, and the building was completed on January 15, 1931.  Of the building's design, Underwood was said to have remarked, "We have tried to express the distinctive character of the railroad: strength, power, masculinity.

Christmas at Union Station is a tradition that dates back to its opening when Union pcific would transport an evergreen from the Pacific North-west. Nowadays the celebration includes musical performances and a visit from Santa and Mrs Claus.