Photo Essay: Union Station's Ticketing Area, Closed to the Public

When you walk into Union Station in Downtown LA, it feels as though you're stepping into another time, into an era when travelers dressed dapper, doffed their hats indoors, and swept glamorously down the concourse, illuminated by the sun streaming through huge bay windows and the art deco chandeliers glowing from above.

It feels like something out of a movie.

And, in fact, it is.

Several of the areas of Union Station that aren't open to the public are now accessed only via specially-arranged tours or as a movie set, including the Harvey House restaurant and the former ticketing area.

With its elaborately-tiled floors, dark wood counters, and high, ornate ceilings, the ticketing area could be the setting for something more like an exciting bank heist...



...but despite what good shape it's in, it feels eerily abandoned without its ticketing agents, commuters and tourists.



The floors still shine..



...but only some of the overhead lights are lit...



...and only some of the windows have had to be replaced.

Apparently the Los Angeles Conservancy new member's tour I took of Union Station only showed a portion of the entire complex: reportedly, the regular tour (open to both members and non-members) also takes you into the MTA Building.

I wonder, what other dark corners lie unexplored, unnoticed by all of the foot traffic passing through that great train station?

Related Posts:
Photo Essay: Union Station, Open to the Public
Photo Essay: Union Station's Harvey House Restaurant, Closed to the Public

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