Chicago Union Station

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/chicago-union-station

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Chicago Union Station?Encompasses approximately nine and a half city blocks, with significant underground infrastructure
2. When was Chicago Union Station built?The current station was inaugurated in 1925, succeeding an 1881 structure
3. What is the passenger volume?Handles approximately 140,000 passengers daily, ranking it among the busiest stations nationally
4. What is the architectural style?Beaux-Arts, featuring limestone facades and grand interior spaces like the Great Hall
5. When did Chicago Union Station open?The current station opened in 1925, after an earlier station built in 1881.
6. Why is Chicago Union Station special?It is built in a grand Beaux‑Arts style and has tracks below street level, so tall buildings can grow above it. It also connects many trains and buses.

Air Rights: The legal right to use the space above land, often utilized for building over transportation infrastructure.
Corinthian Columns: Tall, decorative columns in classical architecture, characterized by ornate capitals.
Multimodal Hub: A transportation center where various forms of transit, like trains, buses, and subways, converge.