I first experienced the wonder of Union Station in the 1960s. As a child I wasn’t much interested in architecture or history—I was merely happy to be back in Los Angeles after spending a miserably cold winter in London. All I remember is walking out into the courtyard to be greeted by those oh-so-wonderful southern California palm trees.
As the decades rolled by I had the opportunity to visit Union Station for various reasons. In the seventies the place was a ghost town. I walked through the vacant spaces listening to my footsteps echoing in the emptiness. Hearing another human voice was startling.
In the eighties things took a slight turn for the better. I rode the train for the journey, not the destination, and apparently other travelers were doing the same thing. Union Station once more had the stirrings of life.
By the nineties Catellus had bought the property and was busy restoring the long-neglected buildings to their original glory. As the station had little use for many years, not much had been remodeled or destroyed. Today, all spruced up, visitors see the buildings pretty much as they were in the 1940s. The architecture incorporates many influences including Spanish Revival, Mission style, Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, Moorish—I like to call it Southern California eclectic!
The best part is that currently, with its role as the transportation hub of the area with the MetroLink and Red Line trains, MTA buses, and Amtrak all converging on the station, it is once again host to the hustle and bustle of humanity.
For sixteen years during the 1990s and into the new century I volunteered as an architectural docent with the Los Angeles Conservancy. One of my favorite tours was of Union Station, both the old station and the new transit center which opened in the early nineties. To me, the whole area is an art museum.
As an admitted decorative tile addict, I salivate over the Gladding, McBean & Co. tiles in the public areas such as the ticketing hall, entry area, and waiting rooms. I am also a marble lover so I am equally enamored of the gorgeous marble and travertine used all over the station. The painted ceilings are fabulous as well.
The Los Angeles Conservancy has two informative brochures on Union Station. These are supposedly written for children but I think they are equally useful for adults, as we are all kids at heart anyway.
http://www.laconservancy.org/kids/union_kids_outside.pdf
http://www.laconservancy.org/kids/union_kids_inside.pdf
If you live in LA or have the opportunity to visit, don’t miss out on discovering the Los Angeles Union Station.
(Stay tuned... more photos coming soon, just needed to get this posted!)
(Photos copyright roslyn m wilkins)
The more I study the tile the more confident I feel that it does indeed depict King Louis XIV. I wish I knew who made the tile and why it was made. There are no maker symbols on the reverse, just the grid pattern, presumably to hold the tile in place on a wall. Yet there are holes drilled into the back as if the tile was used as a trivet (although they would surely be more evenly distributed if that was the case), or perhaps to hold the tile on a wall where it could not be glued properly—ah, who knows? 
Saturday night the 
The great food included spicy jambalaya to turkey meatballs to chicken wings to tasty salads to bread straight out of the oven to cheese and crackers to homemade and homegrown guacamole to cup cakes to cookies to chocolatey things—well, you get the idea! Along with the goodies we asked members to bring a piece of their own artwork or something that someone else had created to briefly comment on. This turned out really well as personally I enjoyed all of the short talks. At our regular meetings we have mini-shows where each artist brings a piece to be voted on but we don’t get to hear the story behind it. 
My cat Friday did his usual job of greeting everybody at the door. At one point he escaped outside and was welcoming all the guests out on the sidewalk. That cat loves people and he goes to great lengths to make sure they love him back!
Some of us were discussing that as creative types we sometimes have uneasiness about dealing with large groups of people and are more comfortable with one-on-one situations. I have to put my hand up there! I find all the vibes from parties such as this one almost overwhelming but I have learned to take each person on an individual basis—and the people who are attracted to our group are exceptionally comfortable to be around. So, if you are an artistic anthropophobic you will be very welcome!
One of the most rewarding facets of my life is being a member of the Culver City Art Group. We have activities such as gallery and museum visits, general meetings with mini-shows, art demonstrations, an annual art exhibit, and our famous Holiday Potluck. I have made some wonderful friends of members past and present. If you are already a member, tell all your friends. If not, why not join us now?
