Chicago Union Station at 100: Stories in photography

The Concourse Building and Headhouse Building of Chicago Union Station stand in the hazy sunlight of a July 1964 evening, as seen from the Adams Street bridge over the Chicago River. Photograph by John Gruber, Gruber-06-23-256. See more images in the Center’s “Odyssey” gallery here.

Join the Center for Railroad Photography & Art as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chicago Union Station, a cathedral of railroading made famous in films like The Untouchables and by photographers such as John Gruber, Wallace Abbey, and others. Wednesday, July 23 marked the official anniversary, although the station had already been in use since May 1925 following a soft opening.

The Center’s executive director, Scott Lothes, was at Chicago Union Station for the centennial celebration, and the unveiling of banners featuring historic photographs from our archive. Other guest speakers included Amtrak’s Jennifer Mitchell, Chicago Architecture Center’s Joan Johns, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

Our archive of more than 600,000 images features a wealth of Chicago Union Station photography, and the Center offers several ways to explore it:

  • Explore the trains, passengers, and railroad people of Chicago Union Station over the decades in our online Odyssey photo gallery. View the gallery here.
  • Twenty pages of Chicago Union Station photographs are featured in the cover story of Railroad Heritage, the Center’s quarterly magazine for members. Purchase the Summer 2025 issue.
  • Our softcover photography book, Burlington’s Spectacular Steam Program, touches upon Chicago Union Station as it covers the 260+ public steam excursions operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy during the 1950s and 1960s. Buy the book here.
  • If you’re traveling through Union Station, don’t miss our special commemorative banners in the Great Hall and in the Amtrak ticketing corridor that links the Great Hall with the platform area. A slideshow of historic photography is playing in the Metropolitan Lounge for Amtrak sleeping car passengers.

We’re grateful to Amtrak for allowing us to share these historic images with travelers and the public during this milestone celebration. To learn more about today’s Chicago Union Station, visit the official website here.

To become a Center member, visit our support page here.

Happy 100th birthday to Chicago’s railroad cathedral!

The morning sunlight of March 29, 1957, silhouettes a hat-wearing commuter in the Concourse Building of Chicago Union Station, on the cover of the Summer 2025 issue of Railroad Heritage. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, Abbey-03-090-01. Purchase the Summer 2025 issue.
Burlington 4-8-4 5632 draws a crowd of admirers in West Burlington, Iowa, during a trip sponsored by the Illini Railroad Club on September 29, 1963. Photograph by John E. Gruber, Gruber-05-44-165. Buy the book here.

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