Architecture | DrWeb's Domain

These railway stations-turned-hotels capture the glamour of train travel.

By Chadner Navarro and Jennifer M. Wood, November 25, 2020

The romance of train travel—meandering through stunning landscapes in the comfort of an elegant sleeper car—was always about prioritizing the journey rather than the destination. And while all that glamour has almost entirely given way to the convenience and speed of flying, the opportunity to take on one of travel’s greatest experiences remain; you simply have to book a train trip. And to extend and elevate that Old World fantasy, consider combining a journey by rail with an overnight (or two) in a historic train station hotel. The ease of being deposited by train at the doorsteps of your accommodations can’t be beat, and the best of these of properties layer on modern amenities atop centuries-old architectural majesty to make for a truly singular stay. Here are 11 train station hotels worth checking into.

All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This gallery was originally published in May 2013. It has been updated with new information.

Crawford Hotel, Denver – image above

The original Denver Union Station dates back to 1881. When it reopened in July 2014 following a $54 million renovation, it also welcomed the Crawford Hotel, a 112-room property spanning both wings of the building. Many of these hotel rooms were repurposed from existing structures and feature historic design elements. For instance, the third-floor rooms were previously offices; old safes are built into many of these walls. Rooms on the fourth floor, on the other hand, occupy attic spaces so they come with exposed bricks and massive wood beams. The station’s Great Hall is quite stunning, too, and acts as the public lobby of the hotel. Look for the 2,300 plaster columbines (Colorado’s state flower) and 1,200-pound chandeliers—recreations of the originals from over 100 years ago.

Source: https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/train-station-hotels

April 28, 2022, by Neely Tucker

*Frederick Law Olmsted. Engraved by T. Johnson; from a photo by James Notman. 1983. Prints and Photographs Division.*

This is a guest post by Barbara Bair, a historian in the Manuscript Division.

This month, the Library is recognizing this week’s bicentennial of the birth of writer, administrator and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of the U.S. Capitol grounds and public parks and spaces around the country.

Activities include an Olmsted Bicentennial exhibit in the Jefferson Building and a series of By the People crowdsourcing transcription challenges for online volunteers.

The Library holds the largest collection of manuscript materials in the nation related to Olmsted’s long career, as well as the records of the 20th-century successor firm operated by his sons. The Manuscript Division holds both Olmsted’s personal papers and the records of Olmsted Associates. The landscape architecture firm based in Brookline, Massachusetts, was operated by Olmsted sons Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and John Charles Olmsted, and featured many talented associates.

These collections are digitized and available online. The bicentennial exhibit charts Olmsted’s life from his youth through modern reinterpretations of the public parks he designed. The five-case display is on view on both sides of the Great Hall through June 4. It features items from the Manuscript Division, the Prints and Photographs Division and the general collections in combination with reproductions of drawings and photographs from the National Park Service’s Olmsted Archives at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline.

Source: Frederick Law Olmsted: A Well Designed Bicentennial | Library of Congress Blog

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