The Durham Museum is in Omaha’s historic Union Station, built by Union Pacific Railroad and opened in 1931. The building is one of the country’s best examples of art deco architecture, and the museum itself houses a range of permanent exhibits, including restored train cars, vintage storefronts and other artifacts that highlight the region’s history.
Location / State
Omaha, Nebraska
Why it matters
Union Station, now home to the Durham Museum, was built by Union Pacific Railroad as its “the showpiece to the city,” according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The building opened as a passenger train station, with a dedication ceremony held Jan. 15, 1931, the museum’s website says. It closed as a train station four decades later, when the last train left at 2 a.m. May 2, 1971. Union Pacific gifted it to the City of Omaha and, in 1975, it opened as a museum under a different name.
What to see today
The Durham Museum offers “unique, hands-on learning for people of all ages,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation…..