From the Archives: The Secret Behind Union Station’s Iconic Statues

If you’ve ever been through Union Station, you’ve probably seen the 46 massive plaster Roman legionnaire statues that overlook the great hall. But thanks to a few prudish railroad officials and some tactfully placed shields, you’ve probably never seen their sculpted manhoods.

Union Station was designed after ancient Roman baths and the Arch of Constantine. So, when American sculptor Louis Saint-Gaudens (brother of the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens) was contracted to design a series of statues for the building, he decided to go with Roman soldiers.

The commission agreed and said they should be made as historically accurate as possible. But they hadn’t thought that all the way through … and were shocked when Saint-Gaudens presented a prototype that was completely naked.

The railroad commissioners were scandalized. Sexy Roman soldiers in a public space where ladies would be present?! No, no, no, this simply wouldn't do. They urged Saint-Gaudens to redo his design and together ultimately decided that each legionnaire would hold a large shield to cover any naughty bits. But for the fearless traveler, they are still visible from the side.

Each statue was hand-cast in plaster with a sand finish to replicate the surrounding stone before they were installed in 1913. The 46 statues represent each state of the union when the station opened in 1907.

In the end, only half of the legionnaires are naked behind the shields; the other half wear pleated tunics. You can tell the nude ones because they hold the shield with both hands (so imaginative travelers couldn’t guess what the hands were up to?).

Saint-Gaudens also created six enormous allegorical statues adorning the outside of Union Station and the U.S. Capitol, which together are considered his best work. He died the same year the Roman legionnaire statues were installed in 1913.