Central Station (Los Angeles)

Central Station was the Southern Pacific Railroad's main passenger terminal in Los Angeles, California. It was formerly on Central Avenue at Fifth Street, in eastern Downtown Los Angeles. The primary hub for Southern Pacific's passenger operations in Southern California, it was served by the Sunset Limited, Coast Daylight, Golden State, and other named trains. The station replaced the company's previous Los Angeles terminal, Arcade Depot, and was often referred to by the name of the older facility.[3]

For other places with the same name, see Central Station.
Los Angeles
Central Station
Exterior view of the Southern Pacific Depot, c. 1918
General information
LocationFifth and Central
Los Angeles, California
United States
Coordinates34°02′32″N 118°14′22″W
Line(s)Southern Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific
History
OpenedDecember 1, 1914 (1914-12-01)[1]
Closed1939 (passengers)[2]
August 22, 1956 (1956-08-22) (demolished)[1]
Services
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
River
toward San Francisco
 Coast Line Terminus
Terminus Sunset Route Alhambra
toward New Orleans
Los Angeles – San Pedro Florence
toward San Pedro
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Terminus Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad East Los Angeles
toward Salt Lake City
Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station
Terminus Los Angeles SP–Pasadena SP
(until 1933)
 Aliso and San Pedro
towards Pasadena SP
6th and San Pedro
towards Richardson
 Edendale
Local
(until 1940)
 Terminus
Vermont
towards San Pedro
 Los Angeles SP–Long Beach–San Pedro
(until 1939)
Preceding station Los Angeles Railway Following station
5th and San Pedro
towards Larchmont and Melrose
 3 Terminus
5th and San Pedro
towards Bonnie Brae and Beverly
 D Central and 6th
towards Central and Slauson
5th and San Pedro
towards Vermont and Florence
 U

History

The Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) was the most used of the three mainline railroads that serviced Los Angeles in the early 20th century (the others being the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad and Santa Fe Railroad). Southern Pacific began investigating the replacement of the aging Arcade Depot as early as 1913 in anticipation of increased passenger numbers to the state as a result of hosting both the San Francisco Panama–Pacific International Exposition and San Diego Panama–California Exposition in 1915.[3]

Station platforms and tracks seen from the north

Passenger trains began operating at the station's new tracks on December 1, 1914.[1] The station building opened on May 2, 1915.[3] In 1918, just over 50% of all passenger traffic was provided via Southern Pacific and Central Station. The Union Pacific Railroad, which had its main Los Angeles train station (built 1891) damaged in a fire, began operating from the station in 1924.[3][1][4]

In addition to long-distance trains, the station was served by the two local electric railways. Pacific Electric Red Cars stopped at the station until 1950, calling at Ceres and Central on the west side of the building. Passengers could get cars to Sierra Vista, Pasadena, Edendale,[5] Long Beach and San Pedro.[2] By 1938, the Los Angeles Railway Yellow streetcar lines D, U, and 3 stopped in front of the building on Central Avenue.[6][7]

In 1926 voters in Los Angeles voted 51% to 49% to build a union station. All long-distance passenger services were transferred to the new Los Angeles Union Station upon that building's completion in 1939.[2] Pacific Electric cars continued to run here until September 1940 when trips were rerouted to the Subway Terminal Building.[2]

The Central Station was demolished on August 22, 1956.[1]

Design

The station was designed by the firm of Messrs, Parkinson & Bergstrom. Features which governed its design included:[8]

  • Pedestrian and track grade separation
  • Separation of incoming and outgoing passengers
  • Amenities for waiting passengers
  • Adequate baggage facilities
  • An efficient and convenient train ticket office
  • A centralized information bureau
  • Additional operational facilities including a power plant, kitchen and dining room, office, private car yards, etc.
1921 Los Angeles real estate map

References
  1. Nathan Masters (January 17, 2013). "Lost Train Depots of Los Angeles". Socal Focus. KCET. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  2. Veysey, Laurence R. (June 1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF). LACMTA (Report). Los Angeles, California: Interurbans. pp. 11, 84, 85. ASIN B0007F8D84. OCLC 6565577.
  3. Musicant, Marlyn, ed. (2014). Los Angeles Union Station. Getty Publishing. pp. 13–16, 30. ISBN 9781606063248.
  4. Reiring, Ron (July 24, 2012), "Los Angeles, CA Union Pacific train station", Flickr, retrieved May 8, 2019
  5. Wood, J. Henry (1907). Security Map And Street Railway Guide of the City of Los Angeles and Vicinity with Map of Beaches and nearby Points of Interest (Map). Los Angeles, California: Security Savings Bank. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
  6. Crise, Steven J.; Patris, Michael A.; The Mount Lowe Preservation Society (2021). Los Angeles Railway. Arcadia Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 9781467105880.
  7. H.P. Noordwal (1938). "Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes" (Map). Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. Los Angeles Railway. "Alternate link" (Map). via Google.
  8. Jennings, Frederick (February 1917). "Some California Railroad Stations". The Architect and Engineer of California. 48 (2): 47–49.
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