Los Angeles Central Library exhibits the tumultuous tale of the L.A. Union Station

Heads up to our Angeleno readers! If you were ever curious about the history behind the iconic L.A. Union Station in the heart of downtown, make a pitstop at the "No Further West: The Story of L.A. Union Station" exhibition currently at the L.A. Central Library until Aug. 10, 2014.

Interestingly enough, the exhibition's debut this past Friday also coincided with the 75th anniversary of the Union Station's opening. The exhibition will give visitors a peek into the building's rigorous 30-year design process with archived photos, sketches, and drawings galore.

Read on for more details.

"Union Station is one of Los Angeles’s most iconic buildings and has been effectively unaltered since it opened in 1939. Once the primary gateway to Southern California, Los Angeles Union Station is now the vibrant centerpiece of the region’s evolving transportation network.

The exhibition features architectural drawings, sketches, and photographs drawn from the GRI’s Union Station archive, on view to the public for the first time. This archive is part of the GRI’s extensive holding in architectural history, especially that of Southern California. They include finely rendered conceptual drawings; sketches of exterior and interior views; detailed drawings of the station’s distinctive architectural elements, and furniture; and landscape drawings. The exhibition also includes historic photographs from the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library and The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens as well as works from the Automobile Club of Southern California's historical archives."

"Financed and constructed by the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific railroads, Union Station centralized passenger rail travel in Los Angeles and provided the primary gateway into the city. Designed by a team of architects with representatives from each of the railroads and consulting architects John and Donald Parkinson, Union Station opened in May 1939. An eclectic blend of Mission Revival, Southwest, Spanish, and Art Deco styles define the station. The architects sought to create an informal architecture expressive of Southern California, specifically with Spanish elements, which was radically different from other union stations throughout the United States...

Unlike most of America’s union stations, which were rendered obsolete by air and automobile travel, Los Angles Union Station still functions as it was intended. Remarkably, though thousands of people still pass through the station daily, very little has been changed of the original design and construction. As long-distance travelers have given way to commuters, certain spaces such as the historic Harvey House Restaurant and the expansive ticket concourse are no longer needed for public use. However, these locales are now frequently used for special events and very frequently as locations in countless film productions."

"Getty Publications will publish the accompanying book, Los Angeles Union Station, which is the first scholarly publication to set this important architectural and civic landmark in historical context.  On select weekends throughout the exhibition, model railroading groups based in Southern California will be running model trains in the Library’s Getty Gallery. A slate of public programs will be offered, including lectures and film screenings."

Text via The Getty Trust.