Union Station was masterfully designed by renown Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and opened in May 1925 after ten years of construction at a cost of $75 million dollars. That would equal more than $935 million in 2010 dollars. Burnham died before construction began and the work was completed by the firm Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, Burnham's successor.

Chicago's Union Station is one the finest examples of architectural heritage. Boasting of Bedford limestone (mined in Indiana) Beaux-Arts facades, massive Corinthian columns, sparkling marble floors, and magnificent Great Hall, all highlighted by brass lamps, creates a sense of prosperity to new comers of Chicago.