Kansas City Art Gallery at Union Station: Preserving History

Union Station is Kansas City’s living history. It’s a destination to preserve, showcase, and celebrate what makes our city storied and unique. 

Our one million square-foot campus is packed full of historically significant art pieces and free to the public for exploration. Each of the artifacts, exhibits, installations, and activities that make up union station serves our mission to create lasting memories and inspire lifelong learning.

Continue reading to learn more about the Kansas City art gallery at Union Station.

Model trains

Union Station’s prized model train gallery spans millions of scale miles and is the home to over 80 running engines every day. Its historic design is a recreation of the station yards and built to capture the history of the Kansas City railroad with vintage railroad artifacts, motion graphics, and projections.

There will always be something new to see when visiting the model railroad gallery—one more building, one more crossing, one more mountainside, or tree to plant. That is the fascination with this intricate display and gem of Union Station’s museum area. 

Touring exhibitions

Each year, Union Station selects a new world-class touring exhibit to feature in our Bank of America Gallery. Exhibitions topics vary, but all align with our mission to inspire lifelong learning and preserve history through our Kansas City art gallery.

Notable past exhibitions include the Discovery of King Tut, Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away., and Maya: the Great Jaguar Rises. 

Each of these exhibits are carefully selected and highly anticipated across the globe. Union Station art is Kansas City’s historical home and works alongside museums in Kansas City to curate opportunities for experiential learning that leaves an impact. 

Union Station Stories: permanent installations

In recent decades, Union Station has worked to curate permanent installations of historical artifacts from the station’s earliest days and guests. Step into the past as you walk the footsteps of thousands of travelers and experience Union Station Stories: 

Shoe Shiners Exhibit

In the golden years of railroad travel, a man’s status could be measured by the shine of his shoes. Many young men in Kansas City and across the country made an honest living shining shoes in Union Station and other travel hubs. Learn more about their trade and the secrets that came with it at the Shoe Shiners Exhibit. 

Haverty Railroad Gallery

The Haverty Railroad Gallery features a series of 12 paintings by artist Richard Allison, which symbolize the 12 railroads that came together to build Union Station in 1906. The storied art shows significant attention to detail and a style of realism that can only come from direct observation.

RPO: The Romance of Rail and Mail Exhibit

The Romance of Rail and Mail Exhibit features tools, stories, videos, and more from the railroad post office days. Kansas City served as a major hub in the Railway Mail Service network and helped pioneer the technology innovations that would form the foundation for today’s shipping and logistics industry.

Come explore Union Station’s art galleries like never before!

Looking for an enriching, entertaining experience for you and your friends and family? Visit Union Station to experience a historic Kansas City art gallery like never before. Plan your visit today!