Comments (0) Best New Building - 2008
Gateway Station
Gateway Station (full name: The Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center) merges Greyhound, MetroLink and Amtrak in one low-slung building that looks more modern-art museum than inner-city transit station. Designed by local architecture firm KAI Design & Build (www.kai-db.com), the building features a breezy main terminal, lots of exposed stainless steel and multicolored windows that illuminate the interior like a stained-glass cathedral. Originally slated to open in 2007, the $33 million structure (funded through Metro, the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the City of St. Louis) opens this fall after hitting numerous construction obstacles. But what's one more year, considering that Gateway Station was conceived when Amtrak left Union Station to set up "temporary" quarters in a pair of double-wide trailers 30 years ago? No, Gateway Station isn't nearly as awe-inspiring, grand or beautiful as Union Station, but compared to Amshack? Priceless.
