New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-19
NEW UNION STATION.
Near the Capitol at Washington-To
Cost Several Millions.

One of the largest and most important pieces
of railroad work now in progress in the country
is the erection of a new Union Station in Wash
ington and the construction of the necessary
approaches to it. These terminal improvements
will cost about $160000O0 and the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad will bear large proportion
of the expense. 1t addition it will have to lay
a lot of new tracks and make other improve
ments required in the new terminal scheme, in
volving an expenditure of about 81 100000 This
means that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Will spend about $1OOO0O00 on the entire work.
The present expectation is that the work will
be completed by the fall of 1906, and one of the
greatest achievements and benefits will be the
citation of every grade crossing, as all
tracks will go either over or under the street
crossings. The terminal improvements are be-
ing made by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and the Pennsylvania Railroad. These two
reads have formed the Washington Terminal
Company, under which the work is being d.
rectly done.
The station will be of monumental de-
sign and will stand on low ground at Massa-
chusetts and Delaware aves Its construction
involves some decided changes in street grades.
To simplify these changes to some extent, a
Plaza 500 feet wide by 1000 feet long will be
formed in front of the building. 1t will be deco
rated with baustrades, terraces and fountains.
10 form the plaza ana DrlnS the streets 10 lne
proposed new level will require about $4,000
cubic yards of earth, the fill being thirty-five
feet over a considerable area. Nine streets will
lead into the grounds, three of which will be
and two modified to better fit the plaza
scheme. Through these radiating streets and
avenues large crowds will be able to enter
leave the station without difficulty, while the
plaza will provide ample space for massing
troops and taking care of the crowds upon oc-
casions of public ceremonials such as take place
from time to time at the national capital.
The station will face the dome of the Capitol
and be less than half mile from it. The arch
itectu1al treatment will be in keeping with
its character as the vestibule or gateway to the
Capital City. With this view its architectural
motives have been drawn from the triumphal
arches Of Rome.
The main building will be 620 feet long and
from 60 to 120 feet in height. 1t is being built
of white granite The three entrance arches
viii lie fifty feet in height and thirty feet in
width. These central doorways will lead into
open air vestibule and thence into the main
waiting room. AT the end pavilons will be two
forty feet arched carriage entrances, one leading
20 Il suite of apartments for the President of
lhe United States and his guests and the other
to Il general carriage porch the ticket and
baggage lobby. The central vestibule and the
end pavons are connected by open air por-
tic and constitute a continuous covered porch
along the front of the entire building.
The general waiting room will be one of the
finest in the country. 1t will be 220 feet long
by 100 feet wide and covered with Roman
barrel vault ninety feet high that viii be deco
rated with sunken Golfers pareis after the
manner of the baths of Diocletian. Plenty Of
natural light will be supplied by a semi-circuar
window at each end seveaty-ive feet in