The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to recognize Union Station in Northeast Washington as the February 2014 One City Location of the Month. With 90,000 visitors a day, Union Station is one of the busiest train stations in the country and is home to several retailers, an expansive food court, and the headquarters of Amtrak. With its stunning architecture and one-of-a-kind façade, the major train hub serves as one of the District’s most appealing filming locations.
Located at the center of Columbus Circle in Northeast Washington, Union Station boasts more than 210,000 square feet of retail space and 100,000 square feet of office space currently occupied by Amtrak’s corporate headquarters. The retail concept was to provide unique and interesting stores to complement the historical elements and architecture of the Hall. There are eight kiosks and two galleries in the East Hall and more than 100 specialty shops on three levels.
Daniel H. Burnham, principal architect of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, designed Union Station in the monumental Beaux-Arts style and modeled it after the Baths of Caraculla and Diocletian and the Arch of Rome. Union Station's arches symbolize its primary function as a gateway. Ionic columns, chiseled inscriptions, and the allegorical sculpture mark Union Station’s neoclassical façade. The white granite and classic lines of Union Station mirror Washington's classic monumental architecture found in historic landmarks such as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Federal Triangle, the Supreme Court Building and the National Gallery of Art.
Congress enacted the Union Station Redevelopment Act of 1981 to preserve Union Station as a national treasure. Then Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole created the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to oversee the restoration. To date, Union Station is the largest, most complex public/private restoration project ever attempted in the United States. Since its reopening, Union Station has hosted major cultural and civic events, including 70 major dinners and charitable benefits in the Main Hall such as five Presidential Inaugural Balls and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 70th Birthday dinner. Additionally, Union Station has been featured as the silent star in more than a dozen feature films including Suspect, The Distinguished Gentleman, Random Hearts, Along Came a Spider, and Hannibal.
In 2011, the DC Film Office launched One City Location of the Month to bring attention to the wide range of varied, cinematically compelling locations that are available to film and television productions. Former One City Location of the Month recipients include the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Northeast, Georgetown neighborhood in Northwest, East Potomac Park in Southwest, and Eastern Market in Southeast.
To learn more about Union Station and to view photos, please visit the One City Location of the Month feature on our web site. If you are interested in using Union Station for a future filming location, please contact us at [email protected].