Taylor Yard

Taylor Yard, in Los Angeles California, United States, is a former railway station and classification yard and headquarters of Southern Pacific Railroad operations in Southern California.[1] The site has been gradually redeveloped with public open space, housing, and other uses including the Rio de Los Angeles State Park.[2] A new Metrolink maintenance facility was built on the southern end of the yard grounds.[3] The site was purchased by the Southern Pacific in 1911 and continually reshaped and remade over the course of the early 20th century for the purposes of inspection, repair, and storage of freight cars on the Southern Pacific Fruit Express line.[1]

History

Taylor Yard was established in 1911 on the previous site of Taylor Feed Mill (from which the yard gets its name). It was rebuilt in 1949. By the 1950s, Taylor Yard was the central node in the freight network into and out of Los Angeles for Southern Pacific, as the classification yard had grown in complexity and size concurrent with increases both manufacturing and the overall population of Los Angeles. The Classification Yard was split into three operational zones, "with the receiving unit at the west end, then the classification unit, and at the east end the departure unit."[4]

Competition from the trucking industry and the closure of American manufacturing plants led to the decline of the Yard after the 1950s. In 1983, an average of 25,000 railroad cars moved through Taylor Yard and 1,200 workers were employed in its operations, down from 5,000 in the 1950s.[5] Southern Pacific closed the terminal on November 14, 1985, citing declining business. Workers and union leaders cited a merger plan between Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Railway, which had been sharply criticized by the U.S. Justice Department, but endorsed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.[6]

The Southern Pacific closed the facilities and bulldozed the site in 1988.[6] In 1991, the county acquired the eastern portion of the site.

In 2017, the city acquired G2 parcel, the northern portion of Taylor Yard.[7]

Developments

In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation began working with the community to develop the Rio de Los Angeles State Park.[3] The first phase of the park, built on 279 acres (1.13 km²), was completed in April 2007.[3][8]

Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge

In June 2019, the City of Los Angeles began construction on the[9] Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge to connect Taylor Ward with Elysian Valley on the west side of the Los Angeles River.[10] The bikeway and pedestrian bridge, which is 400 feet (120 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, is expected to be completed in October 2020.[11] The bridge is part of Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.[11] The $20.8 million project has been wholly funded by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[12]

Taylor Yard G2 River Park

The Taylor Yard G2 River Park will be built on a 42-acre site (0.17 km²) acquired by the city in 2017 for $60 million.[13] The park is intended to be provide recreational park space, wetlands and other amenities,[13] and has been described by Mayor Eric Garcetti as the "crown jewel" of a broader ongoing initiative to restore 11 mi (18 km) of the Los Angeles River.[14] The park is expected to be completed by 2028, in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.[12] In July 2019, the city announced 3 design proposals for the park.[15] A viewing platform will be built to enable the public to view changes to the river habitat prior to the 2028 opening.[15]

Paseo del Río project

The Paseo del Río project (Spanish for "river walk") will be an approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) long riverfront walkway constructed on Taylor Yard, along the banks of the Los Angeles River.[16] The project is being overseen by the 100 Acre Partnership, and will be funded by grants from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.[16] Officials with the City of Los Angeles, the State Parks Department, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority selected a final design in 2023.[17]

Bowtie Parcel

The State of California owns the G1 parcel, colloquially called the "Bowtie Parcel" on a plot of 18 acres (0.073 km²), immediately north of G2, along the banks of the Los Angeles River.[3] There are plans to convert this parcel into phase 2 of the phase two of Rio de Los Angeles State Park.[3] The state currently uses the space for public art programming, and the site also hosts several site-specific installations, and numerous pop-up events, in collaboration with a local nonprofit, Clockshop.[18]

Private developments

Taylor Yard Transit Village is a mixed-use development built on 24 acres (0.097 km²) at the southern end of Taylor Yard,[19] immediately southeast of Rio de Los Angeles State Park. The development comprises rental apartments, senior housing, homes, commercial space and greenspace.[20][19]

In spring 2020, a developer proposed the construction of a mixed-used complex immediately north of the Bowtie Parcel, comprising 419 multi-family residential units, commercial space, and a multi-story parking structure.[21][22]

Ecology

Taylor Yard sits adjacent to the Los Angeles River. As the river passes Taylor Yard, it flows through the Glendale Narrows. This portion of the river has an unlined channel bottom due to the high groundwater table. The soft-bottom includes riparian vegetation, open water, and sand bars, which are supported by year-round flows.[23]

Architecture

Among the most iconic features of the site was the Roundhouse and the Dayton Tower. The Dayton is the only building of the site that has not been demolished. It has been relocated three times.[24]

Environmental investigations

Soil mapping reveals four areas of potential concern (AOPCs) which exhibit high concentrations of lead, hydrocarbons, arsenic, and antimony. The first AOPC area surrounds the former diesel turntable, the second envelops the former fueling and sanding tracks, the third sits along the southern portion of the former roundhouse, and the fourth is located near the diesel shops.[25]

"Results of environmental investigations conducted at Taylor Yard to date indicate that subsurface soils in the Active Yard generally consist of fill material extending from the ground surface to a depth of approximately seven feet below ground surface (bgs), and sands and silty sands with minor discontinuous clayey sands extending from seven to 35 feet bgs."[26] Additionally, there is an extensive infrastructure consisting of thirty onsite wells, twenty-two of which are located in the active yard, to monitor the quantity and quality of groundwater on-site.[26]

References

Mullaly, Larry; Petty, Bruce (2002). The Southern Pacific in Los Angeles, 1873–1996.
"Taylor Yard/ Rio de Los Angeles State Park". The River Project. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
"Taylor Yard Parcel Map". The River Project. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
John H. Dunn, ed. (January 1950). "Car Retarders Facilitate Southern Yard Operations at Los Angeles". Railway Signaling and Communications. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Co.
"Life in the Yard: Even in Computer Age, Railroading's Dirty Work". Los Angeles Times. October 2, 1983. p. GB1 – via ProQuest.
Gordon, Larry (November 14, 1985). "'Eerie Sight' Formerly Bustling Southern Pacific Railroad Terminal Now Stands 'Quiet as a Cemetery,' a Victim of Technology". Los Angeles Times. p. OC_A13 – via ProQuest.
Zeiger, Mimi (July 17, 2019). "L.A. River planners float three design proposals for a major new park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
"The Park Emerges". Taylor Yard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"Rumblefish—a.k.a. Taylor Yard Bridge". www.spfa.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"The Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge: Celebrating a groundbreaking, years in the making". www.arup.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"Taylor Yard Bikeway/ Pedestrian Bridge Project | Bureau of Engineering". Bureau of Engineering, City of Los Angeles. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"Mayor Garcetti breaks ground on L. A. River Taylor Yard bicycle and pedestrian bridge". Office of Los Angeles Mayor. June 10, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Johnson, Maisie (December 1, 2019). "Under Construction: Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge Over Los Angeles River". Civil + Structural Engineer magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Zahniser, David (September 26, 2016). "A 'crown jewel' of the L.A. River project could cost $252 million". Los Angeles Times.
Zeiger, Mimi (July 19, 2019). "L.A. River planners float three design proposals for a major new park". Los Angeles Times.
"Paseo del Rio Project". Taylor Yard River Projects. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Sharp, Steven (August 21, 2023). "Here's the design for the Taylor Yard's Paseo del Rio greenway". Urbanize LA. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
"To The River". Taylor Yard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Olivas, Jillian (June 6, 2013). "Taylor Yards Transit Village". KCET. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"Taylor Yard Transit Village". Kimberlina Whettam & Associates. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Barragan, Bianca (March 6, 2020). "Opposition persists against plans for 420 apartments, beer garden at LA River". Curbed LA. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
"2800 Casitas Avenue Project (formerly the Bow Tie Yard Lofts Project)". Los Angeles City Planning. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
Rio De Los Angeles State Park Preliminary General Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report. Department of Parks and Recreation. California State Parks; March 2005; pg. 2-8
"Cypress Park rail yard tower takes an 1,800-foot-long trip | The Eastsider LA". The Eastsider LA. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
CDM Smith (February 3, 2014). Final Remedial Action Plan (Report). Union Pacific Railroad Company.
California State University; Miller Brooks Environmental, Inc. (June 2002). Taylor Yard and Los Angeles River Preliminary Groundwater and Surface Water Study (Report). The California Coastal Conservancy.