This Is Nashville
This Is Nashville
WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio
Curious Nashville: the whereabouts of Union Station's original Mercury
49 minutes Posted Jul 21, 2026 at 6:00 pm.
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Union Station has a lot of unique attributes. And no, we're not talking about the fact that it doesn't serve any train lines.
If you look up at the top of the clock tower, you'll see a two-dimensional rendition of Mercury, the Roman Messenger God. That's not the original, though. The first Mercury was 3D and mounted near the turn of the century, where it stood for nearly fifty years until heavy wind gusts knocked it off its fastening.
Listener Christina phoned into Curious Nashville and asked this question:
"It was Mercury, and it was there until the renovation, and until Union Station became a hotel, and it came down, was never put back up...we have a very primitive replica, I think, up there but, the original? I'm wondering where it could be!" 
Maybe it was sent off for scraps, or placed in a warehouse to collect dust. Either way, it got the Curious team interested.
Guests:
Josh Deepan, This Is Nashville Multimedia Producer
Jessica Hanson, Meharry Medical College Historian and Archivist
Kem Hinton, Architect
Randy Diamond, Retired Architect