Palms-Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
Encyclopedia
Palms-Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is a historic railroad depot
built between 1886 and 1888 in what is now the Palms
section of Los Angeles, California
, USA. The two-story wood depot was originally located at the corner of National Boulevard and Vinton Avenue.
When the depot first opened, it was known as the “Grasshopper
Stop” because at the time “grasshoppers were present in veritable clouds” in the area. The Southern Pacific later changed the station’s name to “The Palms,” and the surrounding community adopted the name. As one of only two depots on the 15-mile route between Los Angeles and Santa Monica
(the other being the Ivy Park Substation in Culver City
), the Palms Depot served as the hub of a growing agricultural community.
From the 1920s to the 1940s, the motion picture business became the dominant business in the Palms-Culver City area, and movie stars, including Clark Gable
, could be seen getting off the Red Car
s on their way to work at the nearby studios.
In 1953, the Red Car line was shut down, and the depot was abandoned. As the surrounding area became a suburban residential community, the depot became “a symbol of another day and reflective of what has happened to Palms.”
In the early 1960s, the Culver-Palms Boy Scout Troop 49 undertook a beautification of the depot building and used it as a meeting place. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board declared the building to be a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1963; it was the 22nd structure to receive the historic monument designation. Despite the designation, the depot remained vacant, was victimized by vandals and graffiti, and fell into serious disrepair in the early 1970s.
The Los Angeles Fire Department
ultimately condemned the structure, but preservationists sought to save it from demolition. In 1976, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Foundation raised funds to move the structure to Heritage Square Museum
in Montecito Heights
. The depot presently sits at the entrance to Heritage Square and houses the museum gift shop.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
built between 1886 and 1888 in what is now the Palms
Palms, Los Angeles, California
Palms is a community founded in 1886 in West Los Angeles, California, and was the oldest neighborhood annexed to the city of Los Angeles, in 1915. The 1886 tract was marketed as an agricultural and vacation community...
section of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, USA. The two-story wood depot was originally located at the corner of National Boulevard and Vinton Avenue.
When the depot first opened, it was known as the “Grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
Stop” because at the time “grasshoppers were present in veritable clouds” in the area. The Southern Pacific later changed the station’s name to “The Palms,” and the surrounding community adopted the name. As one of only two depots on the 15-mile route between Los Angeles and Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
(the other being the Ivy Park Substation in Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
), the Palms Depot served as the hub of a growing agricultural community.
From the 1920s to the 1940s, the motion picture business became the dominant business in the Palms-Culver City area, and movie stars, including Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, could be seen getting off the Red Car
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
s on their way to work at the nearby studios.
In 1953, the Red Car line was shut down, and the depot was abandoned. As the surrounding area became a suburban residential community, the depot became “a symbol of another day and reflective of what has happened to Palms.”
In the early 1960s, the Culver-Palms Boy Scout Troop 49 undertook a beautification of the depot building and used it as a meeting place. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board declared the building to be a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1963; it was the 22nd structure to receive the historic monument designation. Despite the designation, the depot remained vacant, was victimized by vandals and graffiti, and fell into serious disrepair in the early 1970s.
The Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
ultimately condemned the structure, but preservationists sought to save it from demolition. In 1976, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Foundation raised funds to move the structure to Heritage Square Museum
Heritage Square Museum
Heritage Square Museum is a living history museum located in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, that tells the story of the development of Southern California through architecture. Eight historic structures, a train car, and a trolly car were all saved from demolition...
in Montecito Heights
Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, California
Montecito Heights is a small district in Northeast Los Angeles formerly known as an original East Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California. The 2000 population is estimated at 16,768.-Geography and transportation:...
. The depot presently sits at the entrance to Heritage Square and houses the museum gift shop.