Union Station
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| The first use of Union Station, before it even opened to the public, was for a promotional event for a Hollywood movie called Union Pacific. Since the beginning, special events and filming seem to overshadow the structure?s use as a train station. It was built as the main Los Angeles passenger terminal for all three major railways operating in the West (Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe). Squabbles between the companies delayed construction until 1939. By the 1980?s it was an elegant but pigeon-filled hulk. The owners of the building renovated it in 1994, and it is again open as a passenger railway terminal. But not all of it is open to the public. Part of the renovation plan was to keep portions of the building open only to high-paying special events, and filming. The original ticket concourse, located in the front of the building, can be looked at but not entered, and the rate for filming is $6,500 per day. Railway customers today buy their tickets at a small counter with bulletproof glass, near the tracks. The former Harvey House restaurant (a fixture of many Southern Pacific rail stations in the West), is called "Los Angeles? most remarkable restaurant space" by the owners of Union Station, but it too is closed to the public. It is used primarily for commercials, still shoots, and rock videos. Films shot at Union Station include Nick of Time, Blade Runner, City of Angels, and Bugsy. Pearl Harbor recently shot in the ticket concourse. Approximately four or five productions shoot at Union Station per month. Union Station is owned by the branch of Southern Pacific Railroad that manages the millions of acres that were once given to the company by the federal government as an incentive for development. Called the Catellus Development Corporation, it is possibly the largest private real estate company in the United States. Local offices are in the Bradbury Building, another frequent filming location, featured prominently in Blade Runner. |
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Los Angeles
(POINT(-118.2365325 34.0559835))
(show on map)
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800 N Alameda St
Los Angeles CA |
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| Public (for the most part). |
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Film / Entertainment Location, Transportation
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