Architects Alfred T. Fellheimer and Steward Wagner constructed Union
Station in the mid-1920s as a replacement for the preexisting Union
Depot, which was located on the same site and operated from 1865 to
1925. Union Station was dedicated and opened to the public on December
3, 1927. The station was commissioned by the New York Central Railroad
and cost over $3,000,000 to construct. Union Station takes up two city
blocks on West 14th Street, expanding from Peach Street to Sassafras
Street. Upon its opening, the Grand Concourse and Rotunda, located on
the first floor, housed shops. The Union News stand, a soda fountain
bar, and a barbershop were located on this level, as well as a small
branch of the United States Postal Service. After the construction of
the Griswold Post Office, adjacent to Union Station, a tunnel was
constructed underneath 14th Street that connects both structures. The
tunnel was used to transfer mail between both sites. A bomb shelter was
also constructed in the basement of Union Station. The second floor of
Union Station housed office space for local businesses. In 1933, Bliley
Electric Company relocated their offices to Union Station, eventually
leaving the station in 1966.
Union Station was a central hub of activity in Erie through World War
Two. Famous passengers to travel through Union Station include
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Harry Truman, Jack Dempsey,
and Babe Ruth. Passenger rail service began to dwindle with the
increased use of air and highway travel. Union Station had served as a
station for both the New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania
Railroad; however, due to the diminishing use of passenger trains, the
two railroad companies merged to form Penn Central Transportation
Company in 1968. The company would continue to operate passenger trains
until April 1971. The National Passenger Rail Corporation, or Amtrak,
took over nationwide passenger rail operations in that same year.
However, passenger trains did not run through Union Station from 1972
to 1975 due to lack of profitability. During this time, freight trains
continued to travel through Union Station, which were operated by Penn
Central Transportation Company until 1976.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, Union Station had lost its
status as a center of activity and travel. Logistics Plus bought Union
Station in 2003, renovating the second and third floors to house their
corporate headquarters. The renovation plan of Union Station included
the construction of a mall and museum inside the station. Rather, The
Brewerie at Union Station moved into the first floor of the station in
2006. The Brewerie is a popular pub and restaurant that has continued
to serve Erie for the last decade.
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