Photo: Los Angeles’ Union Station. From Union Station website.
On this docent-led tour you will learn the backstory of L.A.'s iconic Union Station. This extraordinary Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco monument was built to serve as the gateway to Los Angeles – a role which, in many ways, it continues to play today as it serves tens of thousands of commuters daily.
Union Station was the last great railway station built during the golden age of rail travel – an exciting site of colliding community histories. The Station was designed by the father-and-son architect team of John and Donald Parkinson with an innovative blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco architecture now commonly referred to as Mission Moderne. The stunning facility was completed in 1939 for a reported $11 million and opened with a lavish, star-studded, three-day celebration attended by a half million Angelenos.
We’ll visit the stunning former Fred Harvey Restaurant site and hear about the women who worked there in the 1940s and the Ticketing Concourse and Waiting Room, where passengers purchased tickets alongside soldiers headed to war.
You’ll learn about the Japanese families who were deported from Union Station during the same period and how L.A.’s current Chinatown was formed in relation to Union Station’s construction. Along the way, you’ll see newly restored architectural details as well as famous interiors recognizable from decades of film and television spots.
See this beloved L.A. landmark up close, and learn how Union Station continues to evolve.
This tour covers the interior and exterior of Union Station. Route covers about one mile total walking; no stairs or inclines. It is wheelchair accessible.
Policies:
No Pets Allowed.
No refunds.
This tour, led by Los Angeles Conservancy docents, lasts approximately 2 hours and includes some interiors as well as exteriors. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Please arrive at least 20 minutes before the tour departs. Once it is moving, you will not be able to join in progress.
The tour meeting point is TBD.
TICKETS:
Members of Art Deco Society of Los Angeles: $22 (plus fees)
Non-Members $26 (plus fees)
Tickets must be purchased online by Friday, Sept. 27 at 2:00 PM. If we have space left, we will allow walk ups, but tickets are cash only, exact change.
Tickets will be offered first to members of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles. Some remaining tickets may be available to non-members. Once you join you will have access to members only events!
Tickets are non-refundable. For limited space events there is always a waiting list. You can contact us to be matched with a buyer. Please message us through this website.
PARKING
Meeting Location: Docent(s) will meet your group near the Information Desk just inside the station’s Alameda Street entrance. Union Station is located at 800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Parking: Parking in front of Union Station is limited and expensive. There is additional parking in a structure to the rear (east side) of Union Station (enter off Cesar Chavez Avenue east of the underpass, or off Vignes Street on the east side of the station), and at other area lots. More information.
Metro: Metro subway/light rail lines and MetroLink ( commuter rail line)s service to Union Station.
Motorcoach/Van: Buses can drop off passengers at the front of the station, in the passenger loading zone to the left (north) of the entrance. There is bus parking on the north side of the station.