La Grande Station
La Grande Station | |
|---|---|
 La Grande Station, about 1895. | |
| Location |
2nd Street and Santa Fe Ave Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°02′50″N 118°13′56″W / 34.0472°N 118.2322°WCoordinates: 34°02′50″N 118°13′56″W / 34.0472°N 118.2322°W |
| Line(s) | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
| Construction | |
| Platform levels | 1 |
| History | |
| Opened | July 29, 1893 |
| Closed | May 3, 1939 |
La Grande Station was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's (Santa Fe) main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California, until the opening of Union Station in 1939.
Heavy damage from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake meant the last operating years of the station were spent in a state of disrepair as portions of the building had to be removed for the safety of passengers.[1] When Union Station opened in 1939, Santa Fe moved all of its passenger services there and the building was demolished in 1946.
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.[4]
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), Lady Killer, 1933 with James Cagney, Swing Time 1936 (Fred Astaire) and Something to Sing About 1937 (James Cagney).
References
- 1 2 Southern California Institute of Architecture (2004). "On the History of the Santa Fe Freight Depot, Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
- ↑ Rasmussen, Cecilia; Times staff writer. "Union Station Helped Turn a City Into a Metropolis". Retrieved 2006-05-12.
- ↑ Brehm, Qathryn. "Los Angeles Downtown Arts District: History". Retrieved 2006-05-12.
- ↑ Lost Train Depots of Los Angeles, http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/lost-train-depots-of-los-angeles.html
External links
- Atsfrr.net—Santa Fe Historical & Modeling Society: La Grande Station, 1914 remodeling plans
- Ulwaf.com: Los Angeles in the 1900s: La Grande Station
- Los Angeles Times feature with photographs
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