Union Station. It’s hard to miss when you’re driving down Douglas. It’s a big building with a whole lot of potential.
How is it currently being utilized? How has it been utilized in the past?
Let’s dive in.
The History of Union Station
1914 – 1979
Union Station (formerly known as “The Daylight Station of America” thanks to the big windows and plentiful sunlight) opened in 1914.
It served as Wichita’s primary arrival and departure point until it closed in 1979 when Amtrak discontinued the ‘Lone Star’ line that connected Chicago to Houston.
1979 – 2007
The nearest inter-city station is currently in Newton.
Since it closed as an actual train station, the space in and around Union Station has been used as commercial and retail space with tenants such as Cox Communications using the station as HQ until 2007.
2013 – Today
In 2013, Occidental Management bought Union Station campus (5 buildings) for $1.5 million and started three phases of renovations / restoration which continued into 2017 to the tune of $54 million.
Phase two added 150,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant and office space to the south side (think Jenny Dawn Cellars). There is now ~180,000 sq ft total for the campus.
This is where Faneuil (a Virgina-based call center) comes into the picture.
In 2017, they promised to bring as many as 500 jobs (and the number jumped to 800 at one point). This large lease was a huge reason Occidental was able transform Union Station campus, but it came at the cost of a mixed-used space with shops, restaurants, and other businesses that many people dreamed about.
Something happened in 2020 that changed the work model for much of the US / world and I think we all know what that was. Faneuil was forced to “embrace the remote model” during the pandemic and is now (in 2023) trying to sublease their 65,000 sq ft. (in chunks between 15,000 – 65,000 sq ft).
It is unknown how long the lease for Faneuil remains, but it doesn’t give Occidental too many options since it is still technically Faneuil’s space.
This is where my mind starts to wander with possibilities. It’s a shame that the building was used nearly exclusively for office space. How many people get to enjoy the building that way?
But what if we could start fresh (even with the renovations thanks to Occidental)? What could we do?
Let’s look at a couple other cities and how they uses their current / former train stations.
Kansas City
Kansas City has embraced the family friendly approach with their Union Station. They have a number of attractions including:
- Science City
- Planetarium
- Shopping & Restaurants
- Live Theatre
- Movie Theatre
I have personally been to Science City and it is a really cool experience.
Denver
Union Station Denver still has a functioning partnership with Amtrak, but also has a hotel, food options, shopping, and more.
Something that comes to mind when I think of how we can use a space like Union Station in Wichita or even the old library is the Denver Central Market. It’s an awesome place with diverse, local dining options and great opportunities to hang out, dine, and work.
I’m sure there are a lot of great examples of possiblities, but those are just a couple off the dome.
What’s next?
I don’t know if any of those options are even possible for our Union Station, but a man can dream can’t he???
I would be happy with anything that allows us to actually use the space be it a food hall, some type of museum, or even just bring back the trains! (this could happen technically. I think the infrastructure bill passed so maybe we could add Wichita as a stop?)
I’d love to know what you think.
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