1939, John Parkinson & Donald B. Parkinson, Architects
Los Angeles, California

The last of the great train stations built in America was Union Station, located at the northern edge of downtown Los Angeles. In an early effort to reduce urban congestion, the massively scaled new station consolidated the passenger depots of three railroads that served Los Angeles - Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and Union Pacific.

The Parkinson firm had successfully completed a number of projects throughout the region for both Southern Pacific and Union Pacific, perhaps the grandest of which was the 1914 Neoclassical Southern Pacific station in downtown LA (now demolished). These relationships, coupled with the Parkinson's reputation, made the firm an obvious choice to receive the commission for the new Union Station. After more then twenty years of public debates and litigation, Union Station finally came to fruition.

Union Station is an artful blend of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and what is popularly known as Streamline Moderne, which represented and emphasized the Machine-Age aesthetic. Details evoking California's Spanish heritage abound, exemplified by arcades, arches, mission tile roofs, faux wood-beamed ceilings, and stucco walls. The Moderne style can be seen in the more decorative features such as lighting fixtures, signage and artwork. Also worth noting is the original inclusion of extensive landscape features which complement the design.

Union Station's early heyday was short-lived. Following World War II, air travel and improved interstates changed people's transportation habits, rail travel fell into disfavor, and Union Station was all but abandoned.

With the goal of restoring the original usefulness and luster of the grand facility and surrounding area, the property was purchased in 1990 by Catellus Development . Today, Union Station has come back to life as a regional transportation hub for commuter trains and buses, and serves as the downtown terminus of the Metro Red Line subway.

Go to Famous Parkinson Buildings
Go to Map of Downtown L.A. Parkinson Buildings