Los Angeles Union Station

[finehoe]

Since the selection of their winning competition proposal, grimshaw architects and locally-based gruen associates have been refining the master plan for an improved los angeles union station. following a recent presentation of the 'finalized' design, with updated rendered images and drawings, the city's metropolitan transportation authority (metro) is seeking to move the project into implementation phases.



http://www.designboom.com/architecture/grimshaw-gruenla-master-plan-la-union-station-09-25-2014/

[AuditoreEnterprise]

It looks like they are going to move out of the historic terminal and use the new structures they proposed. I wonder what the plan is for the old building. They just spent a crap ton of money renovating it not too long ago.

[spuwho]

Per the article it will be turned into a modified pedestrian forecourt.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

The article does not provide details about how the old station will be utilized just the front of the old station will be a forecourt.



Spent nearly half my life in the city of angels, I been here well over several hundred times. The area in the picture is actually where the current parking lot is. The proposal appears to turn that lot into the forecourt.


Anyways, I hope they utilize the area inside the old station somehow. It truly is a beautiful piece of architecture.

[Ocklawaha]

Taking those stub tracks south, over and across the Hollywood FREEway is a master stroke for operations. The push-pull trains can continue to use the 5-6 stub tracks while the through trains or those needing to be broken down can access from either side. Of course as the photo demonstrates, it will take some of the fun out of having a busy railroad terminal's tracks end at the lip of the FREEway canyon.


This happened at LAUPT 'back in the day.'


Hopefully these plans will not threaten the iconic 'Mission Tower' at the terminal's northern throat.

For the record, and for you Gen-x and Millennial's Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal aka: LAUPT has 15 tracks for passenger trains, and 4 for light-rail (which have been added in more recent years). LAUPT opened in 1939 was among the last great stations opened in America, (New Orleans and Milwaukee are two more exceptions but strictly Costco style utilitarian and dog ugly). 

Jacksonville Terminal had 32 tracks, 29 of them for passenger trains split half and half stub and through tracks, Jacksonville Terminal opened the current grand Union Station in 1919. When JTA and the COJ recycled the old rail facilities they razed the oldest station building, railway post office building, railway express building, A&ECT building, pulled up the railroad yards for the same, demolished the roundhouse, turntables, Lee Street Tower, Myrtle Avenue Tower, Beaver Street Towers. Jacksonville hosted more daily trains then Los Angeles or Atlanta.

[thelakelander]

The historic terminal appears to remain. It's dab smack in the middle of the rendering.



Anyway, I'd love to see what our master plan is for the land around the Prime Osborn.....

[Ocklawaha]

Most of the railroad business end of the station is moving underground. Y'all remember underground? It's that space that Jacksonville doesn't have. LOL!

The old terminal will remain with retail conversion to the original ticket area and entry but it appears from this that the original waiting room (the larger part of the old complex) is to remain as-is.

If this was Jacksonville's plan, the bus concourse would be at LAX, Light-Rail in Long Beach and you could catch the new HSR (assuming it ever gets done) in Ventura. Oh my bad, they moved the bus concourse closer... now it will be in beautiful downtown Burbank. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/JKHrEPqXAYY?version=3&hl=en_US