Los Angeles Union Station
800 North Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles Union Station (formerly Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal) opened in 1939 to serve five different railways. The station was partially designed by John and Donald Parkinson, and incorporates a combination of Streamline Moderne and Mission Revival styles. The structure was built on the site of what was then the city's Chinatown.
On the opposite side of the track from Union Station is the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, named for Nick Patsaouras, a former board member of the Southern California Rapid Transit District. The clear postmodern architectural intent was to echo the older station to the west, although the contemporary materials do not reflect the same air of durability and solidity. In addition, when confronted with the circular drive, it is not immediately obvious that there are numbered locations on the drive where specific buses stop. And, as could be expected, the layout diagrams that are probably completely logical to designers are totally indecipherable to newcomers.
![](2010-12-18_11-37-54_thumbnail.jpg)
Ramp down from platform
![](2010-12-18_11-38-22-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Tunnel under tracks
![](2010-12-18_11-39-02_thumbnail.jpg)
Tunnel under the tracks
![](2010-12-18_11-40-08_thumbnail.jpg)
Los Angeles Union Station
![](2010-12-18_11-43-58_thumbnail.jpg)
End of corridor
![](2010-12-18_11-44-22_thumbnail.jpg)
Art deco detailing
![](2010-12-18_11-44-52_thumbnail.jpg)
Waiting room
![](2010-12-18_11-45-46_thumbnail.jpg)
Sunburst arch on west entry to waiting room
![](2010-12-18_11-46-02_thumbnail.jpg)
Streamline chairs
![](2010-12-18_11-46-56_thumbnail.jpg)
Unused ticketing hall on north side of building
![](2013-04-08_16-38-04_thumbnail.jpg)
Information desk
![](2010-12-18_11-55-24_thumbnail.jpg)
South wing - Former Harvey House restaurant
![](2010-12-18_11-55-32_thumbnail.jpg)
North wing - Unused ticketing area
![](2013-04-08_16-32-12_thumbnail.jpg)
Front from across Alameda St
![](2013-04-08_16-33-22_thumbnail.jpg)
Union Station
![](2013-04-08_16-34-40_thumbnail.jpg)
Front of Station
![](2013-04-08_16-34-46_thumbnail.jpg)
Walkway
![](2013-04-08_16-35-54_thumbnail.jpg)
Front of Station
![](2013-04-08_16-36-04_thumbnail.jpg)
Front of Station
![](2013-04-08_16-36-42_thumbnail.jpg)
Hybrid cabs
![](2013-04-08_16-37-26_thumbnail.jpg)
Courtyard
![](2013-04-08_16-37-38_thumbnail.jpg)
Side of main hall
![](2013-04-08_16-41-02_thumbnail.jpg)
Sundial
![](2013-04-08_16-43-44_thumbnail.jpg)
Historical marker
![](2013-04-08_16-43-52_thumbnail.jpg)
Historical marker
![](2013-04-08_16-44-44_thumbnail.jpg)
Union Station
![](2010-12-18_11-58-36_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-47-16_thumbnail.jpg)
Entrance
![](2010-12-18_11-48-02-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Entrance
![](2010-12-18_11-48-50-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Windows to unused ticketing hall
![](2010-12-18_11-50-48_thumbnail.jpg)
La Plaza, across Alameda Street
![](2010-12-18_11-51-42-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
View from across Alameda Street
![](2010-12-18_11-52-22-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
View from across Alameda Street
![](2010-12-18_11-53-34-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Sign
![](2010-12-18_11-53-58-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Front entrance
![](2010-12-18_11-54-12-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Clock tower
![](2010-12-18_11-55-54_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern walkway
![](2010-12-18_11-53-48-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-55-02-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-56-32_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-56-54_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-57-04_thumbnail.jpg)
Southern patio garden
![](2010-12-18_11-57-26-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Clock tower
![](2013-04-08_16-39-44_thumbnail.jpg)
Walkway to the front entrance
![](2010-12-18_11-48-34-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Walkway to the front entrance
![](2010-12-18_11-50-30_thumbnail.jpg)
View from across Alameda Street
![](2010-12-18_11-58-50_thumbnail.jpg)
Amtrak window
![](2010-12-18_11-59-00_thumbnail.jpg)
Rental cars at a train station - what a great idea!
![](2010-12-18_11-59-48_thumbnail.jpg)
Tunnel under tracks
![](2010-12-18_12-03-22-corrected_thumbnail.jpg)
Patsaouras Transit Plaza
![](2010-12-18_12-03-40_thumbnail.jpg)
Patsaouras Transit Plaza
![](2010-12-18_12-04-26_thumbnail.jpg)
Patsaouras Transit Plaza
![](2010-12-18_12-04-58_thumbnail.jpg)
Patsaouras Transit Plaza
![](2010-12-18_12-20-30_thumbnail.jpg)
The 733 that I should have taken