Kansas City�s original Union Depot was one of the largest train stations in the west, but its location in the West Bottoms neighborhood quickly proved problematic. After it was heavily flooded in 1903, rail companies united to lobby for a new central station. Construction began on Union Station in 1911. Solving its predecessors many problems, the Beaux-Arts style building was closer to downtown, could handle more trains, and was, understandably, built on higher ground.
