Union Station (Nashville)
Nashville, TN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The former Union Station, converted to a hotel, seen in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 1001 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nashville Union Station and Trainshed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°09′26″N 86°47′05″W / 36.1572°N 86.7848°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | Richard Montfort | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 69000178 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Significant dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designated NHL | 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delisted NHL | July 31, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nashville's Union Station is a former railroad terminal designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and Richard Montfort that was constructed beginning in 1898 and officially opened over two years later in 1900. Montfort - an engineer of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) - spent several years planning the building's construction, and it is now known for its striking Romanesque Revival architecture that stands out from other train stations of the time. At the time, Nashville was becoming a modern metropolis in the South, and the terminal was created to cater to an increasing amount of guests who used trains to reach the city. The station served passengers of multiple railroads, the most prevalent of which being the L&N and the Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis Line (NC&StL).
Built just west of the downtown area, it was spanned by a viaduct adjacent to the station and positioned to the east and above a natural railroad cut, through which most of the tracks in the area were routed. The station was also used by streetcars prior to their discontinuance in Nashville in 1941.
The last passenger train left the station in 1978, and in 1975 the building was designated a National Historic Landmark. Union Station reopened as the "Union Station Hotel" in 1986 after being abandoned for several years. The hotel became a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel in 2012 and completed a full renovation of all guest rooms and public spaces in 2016. It became a member of Historic Hotels of America in 2015 and is considered a luxurious and charming choice for accommodations in Nashville today.