La Grande Station

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La Grande Station was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (Santa Fe) main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California, until damage from the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 forced its closure.^[1] When Union Station opened in 1939, Santa Fe moved all of its passenger services there.

Contents 1 History 2 In popular culture 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

Santa Fe opened La Grande Station on July 29, 1893.^[2][3] The station was unique for Southern California in its Moorish-inspired architecture.^[1]

After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the station's dome was removed. The station continued to serve as Santa Fe Railway's LA passenger terminal (sans dome) until the opening of the new LA Union Station on May 7, 1939. The station was located at 2nd Street and Santa Fe Ave, just south of the First Street viaduct built in 1929 and on the west bank of the LA River.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In popular culture

Many Hollywood movies were filmed at the stylish station. Laurel and Hardy's film Berth Marks (1929) was one of the first sound movies shot on location. Other movies that used Santa Fe's La Grande Station included Choo Choo 1931 (Our Gang - Little Rascals), Swing Time 1936 (Fred Astaire) and Something to Sing About 1937 (James Cagney).

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Southern California Institute of Architecture (2004). On the History of the Santa Fe Freight Depot, Los Angeles. Retrieved on May 12, 2006.
2. ^ Rasmussen, Cecilia; Times staff writer. Union Station Helped Turn a City Into a Metropolis. Retrieved on May 12, 2006.
3. ^ Brehm, Qathryn. Los Angeles Downtown Arts District: History. Retrieved on May 12, 2006.

[edit] External links

• La Grande Station 1914 remodel plans (Santa Fe Historical & Modeling Society)
• Los Angeles in the 1900s: La Grande Station