With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
What Could Union Station Look Like in 2050?
Los Angeles, this is your future...transit hub, that is. Today Metro revealed for the first time to the public the six "visions" of Union Station in the year 2050 as rendered by architectural firms hoping to be a part of the "Master Plan" to give the historic depot and adjacent land a major overhaul.
Before you panic, a note: The historic Union Station building, opened in 1939, is not getting knocked down or messed with. (Exhale.)
The vision boards, which take creative but considered looks at what the city's major transit hub could be in less than 40 years, aren't part of the formal evaluation process for vying for the bid to re-design the historic station, but, as Metro explains, are "rather a means to begin the public engagement process and ignite inspiration about Union Station as a multi-modal regional transportation hub."
Metro purchased Union Station in February 2011 for $75 million dollars, and the sale was completed in April of last year. Involved in the purchase are 38 acres of land and 5.9 million square-feet of entitlements that provide Metro the right to build on the property and draw lease revenues from both transit operators and businesses.
Sponsored message
To prepare for big changes at the station, Metro began the Master Plan process in 2011, and received 22 qualified submissions in response to their request for firms interested in doing the work of redeveloping the Union Station land parcel.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, Metro Deputy Chief Executive Officer Paul Taylor, and Metro Executive Planning Director Martha Welborne were on hand early this afternoon at Union Station to welcome the six presenting teams: EE&K, a Perkins Eastman Company, in association with UNStudio; Grimshaw/Gruen; IBI Group/Foster+Partners; Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners/Ten Arquitectos/West 8; NBBJ/Ingenhoven Architects; and Renzo Piano Building Workshop/Parsons Transportation Group Inc.
Metro staff will make their recommendation to the Metro Board on June 28. Upon approval by the Board, the Master Planning process could be completed in 24 months.
We've got images of the boards sent over by Metro, but you can also access a .pdf of the artwork here. We're kind of partial to the garden-oriented one...any of them strike you as the Union Station--and Los Angeles--you'd like to know in 2050?
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
