After decades at Union Station in downtown Owensboro, Baird Private Wealth Management is preparing to relocate to 1925 Frederica Street, leaving the historic depot available for new tenants.
Shannon Raines, financial advisor and associate branch manager, said the decision was made to accommodate growth and modernize its workspace, but still referred to it as “bittersweet.”
“It was really difficult to decide because everybody loves this building. It has so much character, and it’s just really neat to be in a historic building that’s right on the railroad tracks,” Raines said. “But we’re out of room. We have two people sharing a conference room right now because we just don’t have the office space that we need.”
Baird’s relocation team helped secure the new space, which will occupy the entire second floor and part of the first floor where Wells Fargo is currently located. The 10,000-square-foot upper floor will include additional offices for recruiting new advisors, four large conference rooms, a client welcome area, a wellness room, and a café with shuffleboard for employee gatherings.
Raines said the new building’s layout will be more efficient than Union Station’s long, narrow design and will encourage more collaboration between teams. The move is expected to be complete by spring 2026.
Union Station was completed in 1906 and renovated in 1982, originally serving as a passenger depot for the Louisville and Nashville, Henderson and St. Louis, and Illinois Central railroads, according to marketing materials from David Hocker & Associates.
At the time, the $30,000 facility featured 16-inch-thick brick walls, terrazzo floors, limestone facing, copper guttering, and separate waiting rooms, reflecting the segregated era in which it was built.
Hocker’s marketing material indicated the station was considered a point of civic pride, with its gabled roof, hip roof, and decorative stonework greeting passengers arriving by train. For decades, it served as Owensboro’s gateway for travelers and commerce until passenger rail service ended in 1958.
The building’s 1982 restoration preserved many original features while repurposing spaces for modern offices. Historic baggage doors remain intact, wood beams and exposed brick were left visible, and vintage fixtures were complemented by antique furnishings — from an English oak livery cupboard dating to 1750 in the entrance to a 1720 English oak refectory table in the reception area.
Rooms once used for ticketing, baggage handling, and waiting areas were transformed into executive offices, conference rooms, and lounges. The restoration also incorporated distinctive elements such as Italian and Grecian lighting, Belgian linen wallcoverings, and limestone conference tables.
Over the years, Union Station has hosted a variety of tenants, including the Union Station Pizza Parlor in the 1970s, insurance companies, daycares, and financial firms like Baird.
Larry O’Bryan, part owner of Union Station, said he plans to divide the 27,000-square-foot space into four suites once Baird vacates.
“It’s a nice building with a lot of character and a lot of parking spaces,” O’Bryan said. “I think we’ll have it rented hopefully in the spring.”
Raines said that while she’ll miss the nostalgia and charm of Union Station, the new space will help foster the culture and collaboration that Baird values.
“The train station is wonderful, but it’s long and lean,” she said. “This new layout was designed to encourage more interaction between teams, and the technology upgrades will make the client experience even better.”
Read more about Baird’s local presence here.
