The Main Hall of Union Station has been fully restored nearly five years after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled the Washington region.
Visitors can now enjoy a brighter, unobstructed view of the grand Main Hall of Union Station. The scaffolding and safety netting were removed as rehabilitation work neared an end in late April.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
Light shines though the glass ceiling of the West Hall and into the newly rehabilitated Main Hall.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
Facing the West Hall under the grand arches of Union Station head house, the five barreled, vaulted bays sprawl across an open space for the first time in half a century.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The center cafe and two marble planters, which originally served as fountains, were removed in April. The Union Station Redevelopment Corp. says this renovation allows visitors to the station to fully appreciate the space as it was historically designed.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The 225 recessed coffers in the arched ceiling have been repainted. The gilded, octagonal panels are surrounded by over 350 triangular accents.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The 225 recessed coffers in the arched ceiling have been repainted. The gilded, octagonal panels are surrounded by more than 350 triangular accents.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The rectangular panels in the the arch bays on the north and south side of the Main Hall are embossed with a gilded egg and dart trim.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The 36 figures of Roman legionnaires on the station’s balcony stood guard throughout the renovation.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WTOP/Dave Dildine
The 36 figures of Roman legionnaires on the station’s balcony stood guard throughout the renovation.
(WTOP/Dave Dildine)
WASHINGTON — The gold-coffered, arched ceiling of Union Station has never looked better.
The Main Hall has been fully restored nearly five years after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled the D.C. region, the Union Station Redevelopment Corp. said in a news release Monday.
The station’s Main Hall is no longer hidden by the webs of scaffolding and netting that were erected in the repair process after the quake.
The cracks in the ceiling’s plaster have been repaired, the vaulted bay has been repainted, and there’s new gold leafing applied to its ornate, gilded panels.
The cafe, previously located in the center of the Main Hall, was recently dismantled, along with two large planters. The removal of these elements and the scaffolding allows station visitors to fully appreciate the space as it was historically designed, the corporation said.
It’s the first time in a half-century that the space has been largely unobstructed, the corporation said.
The Union Station Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit charged with overseeing its long-term restoration, says that more than 100,000 people pass through the station every day.
A native to the Washington area, Dave Dildine is no stranger to the region's complex traffic and weather patterns. Dave joined WTOP in 2010 when the station launched its very own in-house traffic service. You can hear him "on the 8s and when it breaks" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
