Lost but not forgotten
Car culture rules Los Angeles today, but once upon a time, the city was dominated by public transportation. In fact, tracks for both the Red Cars (long-distance street cars and interurban cars) and Yellow Cars (neighborhood trolleys) crisscrossed the city, connecting them to Long Beach, Santa Monica, Pasadena, and other counties.
But LA residents of the 1920s still yearned for even more public transit to ease traffic congestion. That’s when the idea of a subway was hatched. After much contention, the underground tunnel was finally built and opened in December 1925.
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Address Engraving is located on the sidewalk in front of 417 S Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013 | Public Transport Metro Red or Purple Metro Line to Pershing Square Station, then a .1-mile walk | Getting there Paid lots and metered street parking | Hours Engraving always viewable. Note: the Metro 417 building is not open to the public; viewable from the street only.| Tip About a block away is the century-old Grand Central Market (317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013), where visitors can browse an array of down-home to high-end eateries in a farmers’ market-style atmosphere.
The subway tunnel was short – just about a mile – taking passengers between Downtown Los Angeles and the intersection of First Street and Glendale Boulevard. At its peak of usage in the 1940s, commuters were able to shave off up to 20 minutes of their journey, depending on how thick traffic was. It cost about $4 million to build and it shut down a mere 20 years later, as those newfangled things called cars were getting a grip on the LA lifestyle, thanks to what many believe was the manipulation of business tycoons.
On the train’s last run, in June 1955, the car bore a banner saying, “To Oblivion.” Luckily, the subway was not completely forgotten. A block of it still exists, though currently condemned, between Olive Street and Grand Avenue. The former subway terminal building is now Metro 417 apartments. According to LA magazine, developer Forest City Enterprises hopes to renovate the lobby and the loading platforms beneath. During its heyday, the building housed 250,000 square feet of office space and was filled with natural light.
You can walk over the engraved stone in front of Metro 417 that reads, “SVBWAY TERMINAL” and imagine a time when LA’s hustle bustle went underground.
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