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the current station

The Waterbury Union Station building is located on Meadow Street in the city of Waterbury, Connecticut, United States. It is a brick building dating to the first decade of the 20th century. Its tall clock tower, built by the Seth Thomas Company, is the city's most prominent landmark. Designed by the New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, it handled 66 passenger trains a day at its peak. Later in the 20th century, when the city's rail service had declined to its current level of one commuter route, the building's interior was closed. Today it is in use again as the offices of the Republican American, Waterbury's daily newspaper.

The station building is located just west of downtown Waterbury, where Meadow and Grand streets intersect. To its north and south are other industrial buildings; southwest is the current platform station used by Metro North and its parking facilities. On the west are 12 tracks, most of which are rarely used; beyond them are industrial buildings, the Naugatuck River and the Connecticut Route 8 freeway. A short distance down Meadow Street are the on ramps to the Interstate 84 viaduct carrying it over the river, tracks and Route 8.

There are four sections to the building, counting the clock tower. The two story main block has a low hip roof with the clock tower rising from the southeast corner. Two wings with a tiled hip roof project from either side of the main block. All are of brick laid in common bond on a granite foundation; at the roofline is a roll molding of terra cotta. McKim, Mead & White's design, extravagant in size and decoration, was meant to symbolize the city's prosperity and the railroads' importance to it. As many as 66 passenger trains served Waterbury at the peak of its traffic. The firm's design is different from its typically academic style in its efforts to unite the interior and exterior through similar materials and decorative themes, as well as the vaulted ceiling echoing the arches of the windows. The light reflecting off the warm interior colors through the large arched windows of the main facade made the building particularly welcoming at night. when most travelers arrive in the city via interstate highway instead of the train. In summer 1909, the completed station was opened. As intended, it catalyzed development in the neighborhood. A few years later, the American Brass Company, representing another industry identified with the city and region, built new headquarters across Meadow Street from the station. Its architecture closely harmonized in size and material with the station. The company also operated trains northeast from New York City, through Waterbury, to New Britain and Hartford. The Naugatuck and other NH trains went north to Winsted and south toward New York City. Service declined and then stopped in the later decades of the 20th century. The last commercial service out the station was by the Penn Central railroad company. In the 1970s one of the two newspapers that later became the Republican American moved into the building, modifying it on the inside and out for that purpose. At that time the south wing was still being used by Metro North commuter rail passengers as a waiting area; since then that portion of the interior has been closed off and a new platform built. In 1973, Pape assigned company machinist John A. Correia to restore the original mechanisms of the station clock tower, which had been replaced by an electrical tower clock in 1963. The original mechanism is still functioning, on display in the lobby of the station.