During my recent visit to Long Beach, Calif., to attend a portion of the 2024 NMRA National Convention, I was able to steal away for an afternoon to visit Union Station in Los Angeles. I have been fascinated by this Art Deco palace to transportation ever since I first laid eyes on it in one of the railroad magazines I read as a kid. Sure, I passed through the impressive cathedral of Grand Central Terminal in New York City on a regular basis, but there was something about the glamorous Union Station on the West Coast that appealed to me.
The idea of a “union station” is always interesting, where two or more competing railroad companies put aside their differences to invest in a large, combined facility to handle passenger and express traffic through a major city.
Oftentimes these facilities are owned and operated by a “neutral” terminal switching railroad jointly owned by all lines serving the station. Most of these grand facilities were built just before World War I, when the railroads were experiencing exponential growth. Places like Washington, D.C. (1907), Kansas City (1914) and Dallas (1916) come to mind. Between the wars, even more opened in Buffalo (1929), Omaha (1931), and Cincinnati (1933). But it was the opening of Union Station in Los Angeles in 1939 that gave it the title, “The Last of the Great Stations.”
A source of civic pride as much as it was a practical business decision, the Union Station project was not without its controversy. As Los Angeles rapidly grew into a major city, and coming off its spotlight as host to the 1932 Olympics, the city fathers demanded a rail terminal befitting its new status. Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific were all pushing for new elevated, grade-separated tracks to serve their existing stations, while the city (and the Los Angeles Times) pushed for a site opposite the civic center. Unfortunately, the city’s alternative would require the demolition of the Chinatown neighbood, home to a vibrant community of Chinese immigrants.
After years of debate and legal challenges taken all the way to the Supreme Court, the city’s proposal won out in 1932. Despite the country being in the grips of the Great Depression, and railroads experiencing a record drop in passenger traffic, the city insisted on moving forward. In 1935, survey work began, properties were condemned, and construction commenced.
Main Waiting Room at Los Angeles Union Station, August 2024. —Otto M. Vondrak photo
The design of the building reflected California’s heritage in stucco and tile, drawing inspiration from Spanish Mission-style architecture, but was also an expression of modern development with strong streamline and Art Deco elements throughout. The interior is a beautiful combination of mosaics, polished marble, and grand wooden beams. Impressive modern chandeliers 10 feet in diameter provide lighting in the ticketing and waiting areas. The 115-foot long ticketing counter was finished in black walnut, and an elegant Fred Harvey restaurant provided meals. What Union Station lacked in height and mass, it more than made up for in luxury and opulence.
Opening on May 7, 1939, Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (as it was then called) served not only the railroads, but also included loop terminals for Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway streetcars and interurbans. While business swelled during the wartime years, decline followed in peacetime. In 1948, LAUPT handled 66 passenger trains a day, but by 1955 this number had fallen to 56. Local services and secondary trains were some of the first victims, and by 1961 only 42 daily departures remained. The introduction of commercial jetliners further ate into the business, leaving just 15 arrivals and departures by 1967. Then came Amtrak in 1971, and the introduction of Metrolink commuter service in 1992 (and the addition of Metro light rail in 2003). More than 110,000 passengers use the station each day, compared to 7,000 in 1939.
For the rail traveler, it remains an impressive gateway to the city. Its beautiful architectual details have been carefully maintained over the years, with few elements lost to the march of time. Gleaming marble floors, polished wood, and brilliant lighting highlight this monument to passenger railroading. The effects of its grandeur were not lost on me as I explored this historic space where movie stars once boarded equally famous streamliners. Unlike similar terminals in the Midwest and the East that were constantly threatened by closure and demolition, Los Angeles Union Station not only survived, but thrived. As Union Station celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, its future is secure not only as a Los Angeles landmark, but also as an important transportation anchor for the city and beyond.
—Otto M. Vondrak