Brief History
Shreveport, Louisiana, was a crossroads for a number of railroad companies as they sought passage from the east to the west coast, and from the north to the Gulf coast. As such, the city was a bit unorthodox, as it hosted no less than four different passenger terminals, instead of just one as traditionally found in other cities of similar size served by multiple railroads. The owners of each were the St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad (Cotton Belt), which served Shreveport Central Station, built in 1910; the Illinois Central; the Texas & Pacific, whose station was built in the 1930s; and the Kansas City Southern (Shreveport Union Station). Among them, Union Station stood out with its tall "watchman's tower", the neighboring Jefferson Hotel, and its close proximity to the center of downtown Shreveport.
Also called Union Depot, Shreveport Union Station was built by the Kansas City, Shreveport & Gulf Terminal Company in 1897, making it the oldest of Shreveport's passenger stations. The Kansas City Southern was granted use of the facilities on July 24, 1909, designated a "meal station stop" prior to 1928, when KCS first offered dining car service on their passenger trains. The grand Southern Belle passenger trains began calling at the station in 1940, with the first arrival on August 23. At the pinnacle of its use after World War I, the station saw an average of 35 passenger trains per day.
As passenger service saw declines across the country due to increase air travel and personal automobiles, KCS ceased making stops on November 2, 1969, bringing to an end almost 30 years of Southern Belle service in Shreveport. Thus, Shreveport Union Station shut its doors the following day, November 3, never to see passenger service again. Oddly enough, two days later, a fire started in the basement, and consequently burned the station completely to the ground.
Today, all that's left of this magnificent passenger terminal is the concrete footprint, some stairs leading up the knoll, and some decorative tan/brown tiles at the entry way, and green/white tiles in what were most likely the restrooms. Next to the station lies the remains of the KCS Cafe, now long abandoned and forgotten as much as the station it served.