The Durham Museum, Omaha (must see)

The Durham Museum is a history museum housed in Omaha’s former Union Station, a major passenger terminal completed in 1931. The station was designed by Los Angeles architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, not John and Donald Parkinson, and constructed by Peter Kiewit and Sons.

It served Union Pacific as well as several other railroads until passenger service ended in 1971. Union Pacific donated the building to the City of Omaha in 1973, and the Western Heritage Museum opened there in 1975. Following a major restoration supported by Charles and Margre Durham, the institution became The Durham Museum. The station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. The building is one of the Midwest’s notable examples of Art Deco architecture. Its steel frame is clad in glazed terra cotta, while sculpted figures above the entrances represent railroad workers such as a brakeman, locomotive engineer, civil engineer, and mechanic. The restored Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall preserves the monumental character of the original waiting room. On the lower level, visitors can explore full-size passenger cars, a caboose, and a steam locomotive displayed along one of the station’s former tracks. Permanent exhibits also use recreated businesses, artifacts, photographs, and documents to interpret transportation, commerce, immigration, and everyday life in Omaha and the surrounding region. The museum’s Photo Archive alone contains more than one million historical images.

The Durham Museum also presents major traveling and internally developed temporary exhibitions on subjects extending beyond regional railroad history. Current programming includes guided tours, lectures, school programs, virtual field trips, family activities, films, and seasonal events. Exhibitions may address American history, science, popular culture, fashion, or other topics, while the historic Union Station remains central to the visitor experience.