President Roosevelt visited Union Station and Worcester, Massachusetts on multiple occasions. Learn More about the visits of the President to Union Station.

Our Grand Opening, held in the Great Hall of Union Station on July 24, 2004, was attended by hundreds of veterans and citizens from the greater Worcester, Massachusetts community as well as a distinguished group of speakers, including U.S. Representive James P. McGovern; Robert Bullock, Director of Institutional Advancement at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, New York; State Representative Robert P. Spellane; City Councilor Thomas P. White; and Edward Augustus, Democratic candidate for Worcester's Second District Senate seat. James Roosevelt, Jr. and Nick Roosevelt led the official ribbon cutting ceremony which opened the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum, and author and journalist Studs Terkel welcomed the visitors from a prepared video especially made for the Grand Opening. Presidential historian Stan Klos gave the keynote speech during the evening activities, highlighting FDR's legacy as the "greatest President of the twentieth century." We are pleased to share photographs of the morning's Grand Opening Ceremony for the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum on July 24, 2004.

Worcester's first Union Station, built with a single tower at Washington Square in 1875, served as a consolidated station for rail lines. Construction on a "new" Union Station began in 1909. Its ornate design was reminiscent of a Roman basilica, with arched doorways and a tower at either end. In its heyday, more than 100,000 travelers streamed through the station every day, and 160 trains arrived and departed daily.

A focus on city renewal in the mid-1990s began with the process of restoring Union Station to its former glory. The station has been redesigned to be an "intermodal transportation center," with commuter and long-distance passenger rails, and local and long-distance bus service. In addition to its many transportation services and the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum, Union Station also houses two excellent dining and entertainment venues, The Restaurant at Union Station and the Union Station Blues, a jazz and blues showroom.

Below are photographs of the FDR American Heritage Center Museum and the historic building that houses the FDR American Heritage Center Museum, Union Station. Please visit the FDR American Heritage Center Museum and discover for yourself the enduring legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the New Deal!