The real estate firm which holds the long-term lease on the front of the station has been having a really rough go of it lately, having defaulted on (among other properties) Mazza Gallerie, Baltimore Harborplace, Cross Keys in Baltimore, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 1400 Fifth Ave, Marriott East Side, and yes, Washington Union Station. The downturn in tourism really hit their portfolio especially hard.

The station itself has a headache of an ownership structure. Everything is owned by the Federal Railroad Administration, but is managed by a nonprofit entity named USRC, which in turn leases out various bits of the structure.