Pacific Electric Building

in 1925.

History

In 1908, Cole's PE Buffet was opened on the lower floor of the building, which opens on Sixth Street and Los Angeles Street. The restaurant is closed due to remodeling as of March 15, 2007, but will reopen eventually. It is Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in continuous operation. It is one of two local establishments which lays claim to having invented the French dip sandwich.

Interurban rail service remained the depot's sole function until 1942 when its through concourse was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of buses. Trains continued to use the concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the Tournament of Roses events in Pasadena until 1950 (due to Northern District passenger rail service being eliminated). Thereafter, train service was provided only on stub lines which had been built in an elevated annex at the back of the station, with passenger access to the main terminal via an enclosed bridge over Los Angeles Street. Over the next decade, rail service was gradually abandoned, the last trains to use the station being those of the Long Beach line in 1961. Bus service continued to be operated from the depot until 1964.

Following the closure of the main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the offices on the upper floors of the building became less desirable and gradually emptied out. The building was largely vacant for many years, though it became a popular location for the movie and television industries, and over four hundred location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from "Forrest Gump" and "LA Confidential"

After the absorption of the Pacific Electric Railway into parent company Southern Pacific Railroad, the building became the primary Los Angeles office building for the Southern Pacific.

It has recently been converted into residential live/work lofts, and is occupied by tenants. Although the interior of the building was completed as of December 2005, after that time, some construction work was still progressing slowly. As of January 2007, the facade renovation on the first floor and retail space had yet to be finished. Several retailers are planned to fill these first floor spaces, including a second bar, a "gourmet market" and a drycleaners.

ee also

*Subway Terminal Building

External links

* [http://www.erha.org/pelines/penmss.htm Electric Railway Historical Association article]
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=231792 Emporis Buildings entry for Pacific Electric Lofts]
* [http://www.pelofts.com Pacific Electric Lofts] commercial site for the property from the building's developers