Little Tokyo/Arts District station

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Little Tokyo/Arts District
A Line  E Line 
Little Tokyo Arts District station under construction, July 2017.JPG
Construction site of the new Little Tokyo/Arts District station
LocationN Alameda Street
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34°02′59″N 118°14′17″W / 34.0498°N 118.2380°W / 34.0498; -118.2380Coordinates: 34°02′59″N 118°14′17″W / 34.0498°N 118.2380°W / 34.0498; -118.2380
Owned byMetro
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
StatusClosed, replacement under construction
History
OpenedNovember 15, 2009 (2009-11-15)
ClosedOctober 24, 2020 (2020-10-24) (surface station)
Rebuilt2022 (underground station)
Services
Preceding station LAMetroLogo.svg Metro Rail Following station
Pico/Aliso
toward Atlantic
 L Line
(temporary bus bridge)
 Union Station
toward APU/Citrus College
Future services
Historic Broadway
toward Downtown Long Beach
 A Line Union Station
toward APU/Citrus College
Historic Broadway
toward Downtown Santa Monica
 E Line Pico/Aliso
toward Atlantic
Location

Little Tokyo/Arts District is a future underground light rail station in the Metro Rail system that will replace a former at-grade station with the same name. The former station was located at the intersection of 1st Street and Alameda Street, on the edge of Little Tokyo and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. The former station opened in 2009 as part of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, and was served by the L Line. The at-grade platform closed in October 2020, and the new underground platform near First Street between Alameda and Central Avenue is scheduled to open in 2022. A bus bridge currently operates along the line until the replacement is completed.

Location[]

Little Tokyo/Arts District station former at-grade platform, 2009

Both the original Little Tokyo/Arts District station and the new one under construction are located on the border of two neighborhoods, Little Tokyo to the west and the Arts District to the east. A number of educational attractions are near the station, with the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Japanese American National Museum, and the Geffen Contemporary branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art.[1]

This area was once a key area for trains in downtown. James M. Davies, for whom the large tract was named, subdivided the area in 1891. Several railroad lines from different companies connected through this site. Davies great-nephew, Robert Davies Volk, was the owner of the lots at First and Alameda streets with brick buildings shaped to fit the long-gone rail lines.[2] The structures had played an important role in the cultural life of the Little Tokyo neighborhood for decades before the site was cleared for the future station.[3] Los Angeles Railway P Line yellow streetcars operated on the surface of 1st Street[4] until 1963, including a call at Alameda.

Future station[]

The new Little Tokyo/Arts District station will be underground, located on the west side of Alameda with entrances 500 feet (152 meters) south of the original station; it is being built as part of the Regional Connector project. The Regional Connector is a light rail tunnel through Downtown Los Angeles that will connect the current Metro Rail A, E, and L Lines. Under current plans, the station will be served by both the restructured A Line, connecting Long Beach and the San Gabriel Valley, and the restructured E Line, connecting Santa Monica and East Los Angeles. The new station was originally referred to as 1st St/Central in planning documents, but was ultimately assigned the same name as the existing station.[5] The decision to rebuild the station underground was driven in part by traffic concerns on Alameda and 1st Street caused by at-grade trains.[6] The Regional Connector is scheduled to open in 2022.[7]

Preliminary work for the underground station required the demolition of two modest single-story brick store buildings with one of the structures dating back to at least 1898.[3] A series of new developments are being built on the blocks surrounding the station.[8] The above-ground station was briefly closed in early 2016 due to the relocation of tracks for the Regional Connector project.[9] The above-ground station was again closed for the final time on October 24, 2020, and the underground station is planned to open 22 months later. Until the replacement station is completed, a bus bridge will operate between Union Station and Pico/Aliso station for those riders traveling along the L Line.[10]

Station layout[]

G Street level Entrances/Exits
B1 Mezzanine Faregates, ticket machines
B2 Northbound/
Eastbound 		←  A Line (under construction) toward APU/Citrus College (Union Station)
←  E Line (under construction) toward Atlantic (Pico/Aliso)
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Southbound/
Westbound 		→  A Line (under construction) toward Downtown Long Beach (Historic Broadway) →
→  E Line (under construction) toward Downtown Santa Monica (Historic Broadway) →

Nearby landmarks[]

References[]

  1. ^ Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension destination map LACMTA Retrieved 2009-10-12
  2. ^ Fischer, Greg (August 26, 2014). "Tracking Some Early Train History: Upcoming Regional Connector Station Site Played a Key Role in L.A.'s Early Transportation Scene". Los Angeles Downtown News. Civic Center News, Inc.
  3. ^ a b Zahniser, David (March 15, 2014). "Buildings slated for tear-down were rich part of Little Tokyo history". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ H.P. Noordwal (1938). "Route Map Los Angeles Railway Electric Car and Bus Routes" (Map). Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. Los Angeles Railway. "Alternate link" (Map). via Google.
  5. ^ "Actions taken today by the Metro Board of Directors". 23 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Regional Connector Update". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  7. ^ "Regional Connector Transit Project".
  8. ^ Sharp, Steven (2021-02-16). "Mixed-use development quietly breaks ground on the Arts District/Little Tokyo border". Urbanize LA. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  9. ^ "Little Tokyo/Arts District Station Closure". Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  10. ^ Hymon, Steve (15 September 2020). "Bus shuttles to replace L Line (Gold) service between Union Station and Pico/Aliso Station during 22-month closure to complete Regional Connector". Metro. The Source. Retrieved 16 September 2020.

External links[]

Media related to Little Tokyo / Arts District (Los Angeles Metro station) at Wikimedia Commons

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