Celestial light pours in from distant, vaulted skylights.
Stone columns soar to gilded capitals on high. Monumental architecture housed our colossal national ambitions, and Chicago s role as a railroad hub spurred construction of multiple train stations in the immediate area of the Loop. The Illinois Central and Rock Island Depots, and our own Grand Central Station at Harrison and Wells are now demolished, while Dearborn Station at Polk Street has become a Galleria, but the 1909 Union Station stands, and has been refurbished within the last decade. The travertine interior is clean and bright, with rows of polished wooden benches standing ready to offer relief to the tired traveler. The labyrinthine interior of the station s modernized track area is frequently under construction, but the complex itself has evolved into a civilized waystation for the traveler, including both a Starbuck s and a soundproofed children s play room.