KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than $7 million in upgrades are on the way for Union Station. It will be the largest expansion since 1999 when the historic monument was reopened.
“I think this project is really going to take it to the next level as far as what we can do for the community, what kind of events we can offer,” said Jerry Baber, chief operation officer.
The grassy area in the back of Union Station will soon be an outdoor expansion of Science City. The parking lot in the back will be transformed into an outdoor event space for concerts and festivals.
“People love Union Station, they love the story, they love the history, they love it to be relevant in our community,” said Baber.
The outdoor Science City area will have urban gardening, water collection and other interactive exhibits. A new bridge will be installed to make it easier for visitors to get from the front of the building to the parking garage.
Staff said the project launched with a $2.25 million in tax credit support from the Missouri Development Finance Board. The Hall Family Foundation, one of the large donors to the project provided $4 million. The Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation also donated $250,000 to help construct an education space portal as part of the expansion.
Union Station staff told FOX 4 construction will start late this fall and the project is expected to be completed by 2017.
