The Arcade Depot was the main

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

passenger railway station of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California between 1888 and 1914. It was located on

Alameda Street Alameda Street is a major north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California. It is approximately 21 miles in length, running from Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington; and through Carson, Compton, Lynwood, Watts, Florence-Graham, ...

, between 5th and 6th Streets. This station consolidated intercity services at a location closer to

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

than the previous terminal, the San Fernando Street 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

towards the

Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...

. It was a massive wooden structure, long, with

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...

s and an arched roof clearing above the platforms below. A

palm tree The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially c ...

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 The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned Public transport, mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electr ...

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

External links

Los Angeles Train Time
Departure timetable from May 1892 {{Downtown Los Angeles, state=collapsed 1880s architecture in the United States 1888 establishments in California 1914 disestablishments in California 19th century in Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Demolished railway stations in the United States Landmarks in Los Angeles Pacific Electric stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1888 Railway stations in the United States closed in 1914 Railway stations in Los Angeles Victorian architecture in California Buildings and structures demolished in 1914