Union Station opens its doors
May 3, 1939: Half a million people attended the opening of Union Station, built at a cost of $11 million by the three major railroads serving Los Angeles.
The three-day celebration included pageants and a historical transportation parade made up of horsemen, mule drivers, stagecoaches, trolleys and an 1869 locomotive. People jammed into downtown “to see a dream come true right before their eyes,” The Times reported.
“They knew the Southern Pacific, the Santa Fe and the Union Pacific railroads had united and built that handsome Spanish structure with the tower and the olive trees and the padded seats and the loudspeaker system and the rest.
“They knew it was going to introduce the world to Los Angeles at the Old Plaza. But they still wanted to be there to see it happen.” Construction of the station took 6 years.
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