Union Station Circa 2009

**Doug Loudenback** · 06-27-2009, 10:25 AM

Even though the photos presented in this new blog post are contemporary (taken 6/26/2009), I suppose that they belong in this "Nostalgia" area of OkcTalk. The blog article is here: Doug Dawgz Blog: Union Station Circa 2009

Michael Scroggins, public information officer for COTPA, gave Steve Lackmeyer & me a really nice tour of the facility yesterday afternoon ... including INSIDE the tunnel! Yea! I also got some shots of parts of the building that aren't seen too often ... like men getting to take photos inside a women's restroom!

Here are some of the photos ... click on a photo for a larger view.

Office of the Station Executive

There are some great Union Station historic photos on the walls, too, like this one taken in 1930-31 during construction ... temporary ticket sales and passenger waiting area ...

Probably inside the above car ...

**ddavidson8** · 06-27-2009, 02:35 PM

Great stuff. This isn't due to be demolished is it?

**papaOU** · 06-27-2009, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by ddavidson8

Great stuff. This isn't due to be demolished is it?

The station is not going to be demolished but I think some of the tracks have been removed or that is the plan. Some citizens have spoken out against the change.
I can remember being on the platform but not inside the station. I know the inside of the terminal contains private business's but are visitors allowed inside?

I think as others do as well that The Union Station is one of OKC's hidden treasures.

Have you any pics of the inside of the Santa Fe Depot?

Another great job.

**kevinpate** · 06-27-2009, 09:34 PM

The bldg isn't being zapped, but the railyard itself is history, or soon will be, due to the relocation of I-40 through the city.

By the by, GREAT shots Doug, and many thanks for sharing.

**Doug Loudenback** · 06-27-2009, 09:53 PM

PapaOU, yes I have some inside shots of the Santa Fe depot but I won't post them in this thread to keep it "clean," so to speak. Most are in this 2007 ArtTrain article: Doug Dawgz Blog: Artrain USA and a few more will be shown in the article I'm presently composing about Dean Schirf's retirement this past Wednesday which I've not yet uploaded to my Photobucket account. I'll have a separate thread about that here by tomorrow sometime. But, the best "interior" photos I have of the Santa Fe depot are already available in the ArtTrain article. Both were done in art deco style, and in some of its deco detail, one could say that the Santa Fe depot was done better ... but in its much larger scope, spatial areas, etc., Union Station has got to win the comparison hands down, in my opinion.

**Doug Loudenback** · 06-27-2009, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by papaOU

I know the inside of the terminal contains private business's but are visitors allowed inside?

If you're meaning Union Station, it is owned by OKC and the only existing tenant is COTPA. Both Pete and I found, in our respective visits there, that non-COPTA visitors are made welcome to walk around and have a look as long as you're discreet and don't interfere with city-workers' business. As for taking a tour of the tunnel and the executive's area, Steve & I just got lucky with that since Michael Scroggins, Public Information Officer for COTPA, was coincidentally available to show us some areas that are not likely generally available.

If you're meaning the Santa Fe Station, yes that's owned by Jim Brewer's family, and, to the best of my knowledge, one cannot just go in there and have a walk-about. The images in my Artrain article, Doug Dawgz Blog: Artrain USA, show this facility pretty well.