Los Angeles Union Station is celebrating 85 years of service to downtown Los Angeles, Calif. To commemorate the milestone, the station will host the community with events and programs celebrating partnerships, unique artists and commemorative holidays throughout its 85th year.
The year of festivities will launch on Feb. 15, with Celebrating in our Ancestors' Footsteps, a special recognition of the Waiting Room exhibition Where You Stand: Chinatown 1880 to 1939. The Metro Art event will kick off with a dynamic, traditional lion dance performance by students of the local East Wind Foundation and will continue with a guided walk-through of the exhibition led by Metro Art.
"Los Angeles Union Station is thrilled to welcome and encourage Angelenos to join us for dancing, music, films and more in celebration of our 85th anniversary," said Susie Vance, director of marketing for Morlin Asset Management c/o Los Angeles Union Station. "Since May 1939, Los Angeles Union Station has been so much more than the connector between physical communities in the west – it has also been the meeting ground for cultural exchange, art and celebration building connection between the diverse communities of people who call Los Angeles home.
On Feb. 23, the station will host a free screening of "Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life," a Metro Art event that will include a conversation with L.A.-based writer Alissa Walker.
The Station will continue its participation in Doors Open California, a two-day celebration of architecture and culture across the state from the California Preservation Foundation. Participating Angelenos will experience behind-the-scenes guided art and architecture tours of "the last of the great train stations."
To honor Union Station's place in Los Angeles' history, the iconic landmark is collaborating with Merch Motel, a brand created by Barkev Msrlyan and inspired by historic destinations, signage and architecture, set to launch in spring 2024. The collaboration will largely be inspired by the innovative blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco stylings involved in the station's unique architecture design.
Los Angeles Union Station will also continue to host third-party events throughout its spaces, including the former Fred Harvey Restaurant, which will soon become available as a unique venue location for special events, filming, weddings and more.
