Arcade Depot
History
The land for the station was furnished to Southern Pacific by the City of Los Angeles, which was intended to lure the railroad to town. The Victorian style wooden station was completed in 1888. It was located on the site of the former orange groves of William Wolfskill, on the east side of Downtown Los Angeles towards the Los Angeles River. It was a massive wooden structure, 500 feet (150 m) long, with skylights and an arched roof clearing 90 feet (27 m) above the platforms below. A palm tree was replanted outside the station during its opening year.
The station replaced the Southern Pacific River Station as the main L.A. passenger terminal, which was located next to a freight yard farther outside of downtown L.A.
In addition to mainline steam trains, the depot was also served by Pacific Electric Red Cars.
By 1913, the Arcade Depot had fallen into a state of disrepair and calls were made for its replacement in anticipation of increased passenger traffic. The station was closed in 1914 when the SP opened the Los Angeles Central Station just to the north. The old depot was demolished soon after to make room for new outdoor platforms serving the new station.
References
- ^ Masters, Nathan (January 17, 2013). "Lost Train Depots of Los Angeles". Socal Focus. KCET. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Stargel, Cory; Stargel, Sarah (2009). Early Downtown Los Angeles. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 70–72. ISBN 9780738570037.
- ^ Nathan Masters (April 17, 2013). "CityDig: L.A.'s Oldest Palm Tree". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "S.P. Pasadena Trains Give Way to Trolley". Los Angeles Express. Los Angeles, California. May 1, 1912. p. 23. Retrieved July 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mayor Rose Asks Council to Act on S.P. Depot". Los Angeles Express. Los Angeles, California. November 7, 1913. p. 20. Retrieved July 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Los Angeles Train Time Departure timetable from May 1892