Los Angeles transit agency to restore historic train depot in North Hollywood

Today, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and local elected officials are scheduled to kick off a $3.6 million restoration project at the historic Southern Pacific Lankershim/North Hollywood Train Depot.

LACMTA is taking the lead in restoring the 117-year-old station, which is located next to the Metro Orange and Red lines in North Hollywood, by funding a major portion of the project's cost, agency officials said in a press release.

The station is one of the oldest, unmodified railroad structures in Southern California and is located in the heart of the North Hollywood Arts District. The depot began as a high platform station for loading trains from a local packing plant, farms and cannery industries. It was later used as the North Hollywood Red Car pedestrian station until the Pacific Electric's demise in 1952, LACMTA officials said.

The agency's share of the 10-month project's cost will come from $2.5 million in Proposition C half-cent sales tax revenue. The city of Los Angeles will contribute $1.1 million.