ONCE left to gather dust, a grand old American train station that inspired Walt Disney’s love of locomotives has been given a stunning new lease of life – as a swish 225-room hotel.
Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the former Union Pacific Depot has been reborn as the Asher Adams hotel, opening its doors in October 2024.
The restored Union Pacific Depot in Salt Lake City, now home to the luxury Asher Adams hotel[/caption]
Disneyland’s Main Street train station, inspired by the original Union Pacific Depot in Salt Lake City[/caption]
Guests can now sip cocktails where travellers once waited for steam trains to arrive[/caption]
While trains no longer pull into the platforms, visitors stepping inside are met with a curious illusion, are they in a hotel lobby, or waiting for a steam engine to whistle in?
Refurbished with striking white-and-gold accents, original wooden benches and plush armchairs, the building merges the nostalgia of early 20th-century travel with the comforts of modern luxury.
And this one holds a special place in pop culture history—Walt Disney himself drew inspiration from the Union Pacific Depot when imagining the design for Disneyland’s Main Street train station.
Disney had a lifelong fascination with trains, and stations like this helped shape the magical world he created.
Built between 1908 and 1909, the depot played a major role in connecting America’s North-west and South-west.
But with trains falling out of favour over the decades, parts of the depot had been turned into offices for the 2002 Winter Olympics, while another wing served as a nightclub.
The rest sat abandoned – until now.
Tearing it down was never an option.
“The public had an emotional connection to it,” said Emir Tursic, partner at HKS Architects, the firm behind the restoration.
“It’s part of our cultural heritage.”
One of Salt Lake City’s oldest buildings, its Second Empire architecture, stained-glass windows, terrazzo flooring and murals – including Driving the Golden Spike, depicting the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad – helped preserve its place in the city’s heart.
“You had a sense of arrival,” said Diana Melichar, an architect who’s restored numerous small-town stations.
“They were the gateways to these 19th- and 20th-century cities.”
Other standout revivals include Denver’s Union Station – now home to The Crawford Hotel, boutique shops and restaurants.
Though still serving trains to the airport and the Winter Park ski resort, the station has shifted from transport hub to cultural hotspot.
The building, dating back to 1881, underwent a £30million restoration and is now dubbed “Denver’s living room”.
“[Dana] Crawford had a vision to restore Union Station back to its glory days,” said Ed Blair of Sage Hospitality Group.
Visitors today sip craft coffee by day and cocktails by night from the mezzanine Cooper Lounge, overlooking domed-glass chandeliers and original ticket counters now turned into bars.
Sustainability has also played a part in the trend.
Many train stations were built to last, and restoring them makes economic and environmental sense.
“If they have good bones,” Melichar added, “these buildings built of stone or brick will last another century.”
Even smaller stations are being saved.
In Westfield, New Jersey, a 19th-century train stop was transformed into the Mexican restaurant Maize Cocina & Cocktails.
The renovation took 2.5 years – and included clearing out dead birds – but brought the space roaring back to life.
“We didn’t want to tear down history,” said chef Jesa Henneberry.
“We wanted to breathe new life into it.”
Sustainability has also played a part in the trend[/caption]
The renovation took 2.5 years – and included clearing out dead birds – but brought the space roaring back to life[/caption]
The grand hall of the Asher Adams hotel still features original wooden benches and opulent Second Empire detailing[/caption]
