Opened on October 27, 1907 and completed in 1908, Union Station is considered to be one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. Architect, Daniel Burnham designed the building to be monumental in every respect and to serve as a gateway for the capital city.
At the time it was built, the Station covered more ground than any other building in the United States and was the largest train station in the world. The Station sits on the edge of an area once known as "Swampoodle," an infamous shantytown located on the sewery remnants of Tiber Creek. The total area occupied by the Station and the terminal zone was originally about 200 acres and included 75 miles of tracks. In fact, if put on its side, the Washington Monument could lay within the confines of the Station's concourse.
Union Station brought to the nation's capital a new grandeur that echoed the Chicago World's Fair and began Washington's monumental transformation. Seventy pounds of 22-karat gold leaf adorned the 96-foot barrel-vaulted, coffered ceilings. The white granite and classic lines of Union Station set the stage for the next 40 years of Washington's classic architecture - reflected in the construction of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Supreme Court building. The cost was monumental as well - $125 million for the Station and its approaches.
In many ways, Union Station was a city within a city. At various times it employed a staff of over 5,000 people and provided such amenities as a bowling alley, mortuary, baker, butcher, YMCA, hotel, ice house, liquor store, Turkish baths, first-class restaurant, nursery, police station, and a silver-monogramming shop.
Postal Museum:
Located on Capitol Hill next to Union Station, the National Postal Museum is housed in a Beaux Arts-style building designed by Daniel Burnham. From 1914 to 1986, the building was the Washington City Post Office.
Alphabetilately: An Alphabet of Philately" Twenty-six letters tell the story of stamp collecting and mail delivery.
The print advertisement explained how Kodak provided the key equipment used to reduce V-Mail to 16mm microfilm for speedy air transport.Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
"Delivering Hope: FDR & Stamps of the Great Depression" (closes June 6, 2010). During the Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt understood the power of visual imagery and had stamps designed to convey hope, optimism and the strength of the federal government.
At this site you will find variety of plants from different parts of the world. These include:
1. African Pronus
Rosaceae-Rose family
Tropical Africa.
2. Sugar Cane
Saccharum officinarum
Poaceae-Grass Family.
3. French Marigold
Tageles patula
Zenith Orange
Aster family, Asteraceae
4.The flavor of food and drink
The garden has plants from the deserts to the tropics.
This place is very beautiful and interesting. If you visit some day you will not regret it.
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