Free Weekend in Celebration of National Historic Landmark Designation

Thanks to the generous support of museum donors, The Durham will be open free of charge Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9 to celebrate the building’s designation as a National Historic Landmark. Tours and presentations covering Art Deco Architecture and the history of Union Station are planned for Saturday, April 8 at 10:30AM, 1:30PM and 3:30PM and Sunday, April 9 at 1:30PM and 3:30PM. Museum hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday 1PM-5PM.

On January 11, 2017, then Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell announced the designation of Omaha’s Union Station as one of more than 20 new national designations. This is the first National Historic Landmark designated in Nebraska since 1993, bringing the number up to 21 for the state. The National Historic Landmarks Program, which is managed by the National Park Service, recognizes historic properties of exceptional national value and promotes the preservation of those places. All National Historic Landmarks are on the National Register of Historic Places. Few places on the National Register are eligible to be National Historic Landmarks in part because of requirements to be nationally significant with a high degree of historic integrity.

In 1973 Union Pacific Corporation donated Union Station to the City of Omaha. In 1975 the Western Heritage Museum opened and operated in the existing facility until 1995. That year, Chuck and Margre Durham led the effort to support a major renovation of the structure that restored the main waiting room, now called the Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall, to its original grandeur.  With the renovation complete, the facility was renamed the Durham Western Heritage Museum in 1997 and in 2008, the museum was renamed The Durham Museum to better reflect its offerings. Since 1997 the facility has undergone continued upgrades and preservation. Substantial capital conservation projects have taken place over the past decade to guarantee the long term viability of the historic structure and ensure its place as a learning center for generations to come.
Built in the late 1920s, Omaha Union Station in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the most distinctive and complete examples of Art Deco architecture in the nation. The station outstandingly expresses the style’s innovative and diverse surface ornamentation inspired by the machine age. As one of the earliest Art Deco train stations designed by the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad, its ultra-modern appearance was a major departure from previous railroad station designs. Union Station was most used by travelers from 1931 to 1946, before the creation of the Interstate Highway System.
The station was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who is best known for designing several iconic National Park lodges, including ones in Yellowstone, Zion and Yosemite national parks.  The National Historic Landmark and National Register programs are two of more than a dozen programs administered by the National Park Service that provide states and local communities technical assistance, recognition and funding to help preserve our nation’s shared history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.