Barber Shop &
Shoe Shine

Travelers were able to visit the station’s barber for a haircut or have their shoes shine while they waited for the train. The original barbershop, decorated in mauve and green, stopped service in the 1950s. Today, it serves as the museum’s library.

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USO Club/
Men’s Service Center

Directly above the west wing was the USO Club. This area included a letter-writing station, dormitory, shower and full bath facilities. The north side house the USO Club game room with pool tables, table tennis, cards and light food service. This area is currently used for our administrative staff offices.

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Ticket Office

Travelers taking the trains purchased their tickets or made reservations at one of the 12 ticket windows or “cages”. If you look closely at the floor in front of each window, you can see indentations from the tens of thousands of people who stood there over the years. Today the area behind the ticket windows serves as The Gilbert M. & Martha H. Hitchcock Museum Shop.

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Baggage Room/
Parcel Check

Passengers coming and going from the station checked and picked up their bags in this area. Employees called “Red Caps” provided services for customers such as delivering baggage, escorting passengers to their trains and other services as needed.

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Soda Fountain &
Station Gift Shop

Travelers short on time purchased gifts, newspapers, magazines or necessities at the gift shop and enjoyed a cool treat at the Soda Fountain. Tobacco products once lined the east counter where the candy is today. The restored 1930s Soda Fountain still turns out some of the best, most authentic milk shakes around!

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Hayden House
Restaurant

Union Station was home to the Hayden House restaurant, which was a popular destination for both passengers and the citizens of Omaha. The northern half of the restaurant offered a formal, seated meal experience while the southern half provided an a la carte counter service for meals. A kitchen was located on the east side of the dining room and directly under the kitchen were facilities for cold food storage and a bakery. The six murals around the room were painted in 1931 by Los Angeles artist, Joseph Keller. They depict the development of the region. Today, this space is the Swanson Gallery and used primarily for events.

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Concourse
Vestibule

The concourse or “gate” area located on the south side of the Main Waiting Room was where passengers had their tickets checked before passing to their designated train. To reach the train, passengers walked through the doors below the “To Trains” signs and onto a long walkway connecting Union Station with the Burlington Station. Long stairways descended to the tracks and waiting trains below. In 1937, the stairs were replaced with escalators. Passengers returning to Omaha arrived through the center gate. First-Class passengers and reservations with assigned seats entered the gates on the east. All other tickets passengers entered through the gates on the west.

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