A new wing, with a saw-tooth roof, was added to house the museum. Constructed of glass and steel, the wing echoes a long demolished train shed on the site and allows for abundant natural light within the museum. A planetarium, a stage theater and a large theater are also part of the complex.
The train station itself, the second largest in the country, was transformed into a retail and restaurant area. Repairs to slabs and corroded steel framing columns were made. In addition, ten columns were removed and transfer girders were added to support the loads that the columns previously held.
A new enclosed pedestrian walkway – nicknamed “the Link” – connects Science City to the both Amtrak and bus services, nearby hotels, retail and office buildings of Crown Center, and surrounding parks.
The bridge connecting the Kansas City Museum/Union Station to the Westin Hotel over Pershing Avenue and Main Street consists of two spans each approximately 120 feet long. The suspension bridge design with 3¾“ diameter structural strand cables are anchored at the end posts. The design included vibration and seismic analysis of all bridges, and three-dimensional non-linear analysis of the suspension bridges.
