The Pacific Electric Building (also known as the Huntington Building, after the developer, Henry Huntington, or 6th & Main for its location) opened in 1905 as the terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car Lines running east and south of downtown Los Angeles, as well as the company's main headquarters building. It was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh. Though not the first modern building in Los Angeles, nor the tallest, its large footprint and ten floor height made it the largest building in floor area west of Chicago for several decades after its completion. Above the main floor terminal were five floors of offices and, on the top three floors, the facilities of the Jonathan Club, one of the city's leading businessmen's clubs. The club moved to its own building on Figueroa Street in 1925.
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In 1908, Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet was opened on the lower floor of the building, which is on Main Street on the west, Los Angeles Street on the east, and 6th Street on the north. Cole's claimed to be Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in continuous operation, but it was closed in 2007 for renovation, reopening in December 2008. It is one of two local establishments which lays claim to having invented the French dip sandwich. Additionally, the structure held the architectural offices of Greene and Greene around 1905.
Congestion of shared street running with the Los Angeles Railway delayed routes to the North and West. In 1922, the California Railroad Commission issued Order No. 9928, which called for the Pacific Electric to construct a subway allowing passengers to bypass downtown's busy streets altogether.[1], the Subway Terminal Building, a second terminal, was then built across downtown in the base of Bunker Hill at 4th and Hill Streets to service the subway which opened December 1, 1925, speeding passenger service considerably.
Interurban rail service remained the 6th and Main PE Terminal's sole function until 1942. Trains had entered the back of the terminal from San Pedro Street, loaded and unloaded passengers inside the building concourse, then exited by turning north onto Main Street. (See the attached photograph accompanying this article.) In 1942, the terminal was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of buses. Trains continued to use the concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the Tournament of Roses events in Pasadena until 1950 when Northern District (Pasadena-Sierra Madre-Monrovia) passenger rail service was eliminated. Thereafter, train service was provided only from San Pedro Street to outside stub tracks. These had been built in an elevated annex at the back (east side) of the terminal, with passenger walking to the main terminal via an enclosed bridge over Los Angeles Street. Over the next decade, interurban rail service routes were gradually abandoned and replaced by Motor Coaches. The last "Blimp" Multiple Unit interurban train to use the station (so named for their unusual round front window) on the Long Beach route April 9, 1961 was in MTA green livery, no longer painted the famous PE red. MTA Bus service continued operate from the terminal until 1964. The MTA Terminal then operated Interurban "Freeway Flyer" Motor Coach service from the basement of the nearby Greyhound Terminal, which continued during Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) operations.
Following the closure of the main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the rented offices on the upper floors of the building became less desirable and gradually emptied out. The building was largely vacant for many years, though it became a popular location for the movie and television industries. Over four hundred location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from Forrest Gump, LA Confidential and interior shots for the 1970s Streets of San Francisco TV series.
After the absorption of the Pacific Electric Railway into parent company Southern Pacific Railroad (called "The Great Merger"), the PE building became the primary Los Angeles offices for the Southern Pacific.
In 2005, the former PE Terminal building was converted by ICO Group into residential live/work lofts and is occupied by tenants. Several commercial tenants have filled the first floor spaces along 6th street. The original Cole's space was renovated and divided to add another restaurant and bar. The building lobby currently displays a number of artifacts left over from its days as a rail terminal.
"DANGER" warning set into the sidewalk, where trains once entered and left the building, remain as evidence of its original purpose[2].
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