The New King Street Station in Seattle!

The King Street Station first opened its doors for the public in 1906, but the 107 year old station recently reopened the doors to the past. Seattle's main train station has undergone a fantastic renovation and restoration to its original splendor after a modernist refurbishment in the 1960s or 1970s. The results make the Kind Street Station Seattle's newest destinations for visitors and a place for locals to rediscover.

Situated south of Seattle' business district and adjacent to both the stadium district and Pioneer Square, the King Street Station has long served the traveling public. The station was designed by member of the team that designed Grand Central Station in New York and was a classic station. The station serves the Sounder commuter service that connects Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma; trains headed to Vancouver BC and Portland;  and destinations further afield such as Chicago via the Empire Builder Line or Los Angeles via the Coast Starlight. But things have not always been well for the station.

Take a look:

Photo: Joe Mabel via WikiMedia

Photo: Beaster725 via Flickr

The "modernization" in the 1960s or 1970s left the station looking miserable. These photos photo what it looked like just a few years ago. It was a step up from the greyhound bus station in town, but not by much. The dropped ceiling at the top hid the original detail of the building which has now been restored. That low rectangular window in the picture above is visible on the left of the photo below.