Frequently the death of something...
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Frequently the death of something old is necessary to accommodate something new. St. Louis Union Station is a National Historic Landmark. The building was designed in 1894 by Theodore Link and at one time was the largest and busiest railroad terminal in the world. But times change and the advent of air travel served to lessen the demand for rail transportation. Freight trains don't require ornate stations, and by the 1970s the station was no longer the busy hub of times past. In 1976 the station was designated a National Historic Landmark and underwent a 150 million dollar restoration. Now the station provides a new center of activity and commerce for the city of St. Louis and is one of its leading tourist attractions. The station no longer hosts trains, but instead houses a Hyatt hotel, plus many shops and restaurants. It has a new life that only became possible when the old train station ceased to exist and a new pattern for its life emerged. The 11.5-acre site under one roof now even includes a lake. It is a place that would be almost unrecognizable to those travelers of an earlier generation who knew it only as an elaborate railroad station. Paul speaks of how death makes way for new life in much the same way.
-- Frye
-- Frye
