Union Passenger Station, El Paso

Union Passenger Station opened in February 1906, when railroads were the main way people traveled across the American Southwest. The depot served six railroads, including the Southern Pacific, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and the Rock Island Line through the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad. It was also the first U.S. train station designed specifically for international travel between the United States and Mexico.

The building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham in the Neo-Classical style, common for large public buildings of the early twentieth century. It was originally built of dark red brick and includes a six-story bell tower topped with a narrow spire. In 1940 the exterior was covered with stucco to create a “Southwestern” look, but a renovation in 1982 restored the original red-brick façade.

Inside, the station had a large waiting room with ceilings about 46 feet high and tall windows that brought in natural light. Travelers could also eat at a Harvey House restaurant on the second floor, part of a chain serving railroad passengers across the western United States. Although passenger rail travel later declined as cars and airplanes became more common, the station still operates today, with Amtrak’s Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle stopping here.