The Los Angeles Union Station Collection documents the planning and construction of the historic landmark, as well as the battles that preceded its actual construction. The collection consists of approximately 22 boxes of legal files, blueprints, maps, correspondence, and planning documents regarding one of Los Angeles's most recognizable architectural icons.

Long considered a Los Angeles architectural icon, the Los Angeles Union Station was the last of the"great" train stations built during the peak of rail travel in the United States. Financed and constructed by the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific railroads and completed in 1939, Union Station centralized passenger rail travel in Los Angeles and provided the primary gateway into the city before the rise of air and automobile travel. While the building is now a recognizable symbol of the city, the three major railroads involved in the project fought for decades to forestall its construction. Reluctant to finance a union station when they already owned and operated separate terminals in the downtown area, the railroads did not start the project until pressured by local business and political leaders and mandated by the California Railroad Commission. The railroads appealed the commission's directive for more than a decade but were finally forced to begin land acquisition and construction in the early 1930s.

22.0 Linear feet 22 boxes

The collection contains published articles; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.