La Grande Station

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.

La Grande Station
La Grande Station, about 1895.
Location2nd Street and Santa Fe Ave
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34.0472°N 118.2322°W / 34.0472; -118.2322
Line(s)Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Construction
Platform levels1
History
OpenedJuly 29, 1893 (1893-07-29)
ClosedMay 3, 1939 (1939-05-03)
Former services
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Pasadena
toward Chicago

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 with 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]

The California Limited, led by engine No. 53, makes a stop at La Grande Station, circa 1899.
Station at night, about 1915

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. 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.
  2. Rasmussen, Cecilia; Times staff writer. "Union Station Helped Turn a City Into a Metropolis". Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  3. Brehm, Qathryn. "Los Angeles Downtown Arts District: History". Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  4. Masters, Nathan (2013-01-17). "Lost Train Depots of Los Angeles History". KCET. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
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