Union Station 75th Anniversary

Including "High Hopes" - Six Images by Jim McHugh

"Union Station" – 30" x 60" Duratrans, 1 of 6 from the series "High Hopes"   © 2005 Jim McHugh

Opening ceremony – Union Station 75th Anniversary Celebration 

May 3rd marked the opening ceremony commemorating Union Station's 75th Anniversary. The celebration featured various musical and other performances throughout the day in the Old Ticket Concourse, South Patio, East Portal and Fred Harvey space. Vintage sounds from the years the station opened—swing, blues, roots—mingled with more contemporary and cultural beats—Afro-Mexican Son Jarocho, Salsa, funk, Japanese taiko, New Orleans style brass, Chinese lion dancers and more. 

Metro Art Docents, posted at various locations throughout the station, answered questions about the architecture and art in the station—including the new photo light boxes in the Union Station Passageway!   

The Heart of Los Angeles

In celebration of Union Station’s 75th Anniversary, a new art space has been added to its historic passenger tunnel. The last great railway station built in America, this passageway has appeared in countless films, from the gritty 1950 noir classic “Union Station” with William Holden to “Blade Runner” and its futuristic portrayal of Los Angeles.

“The Heart of Los Angeles” series introduces artworks created by five artists: Suzanne Adelman, Sam Comen, Kevin McCollister, Jim McHugh and Catherine Opie (six by each artist). The photographs relate to the station’s architectural heritage, transit usage, cultural significance, and its physical and social relationship to neighboring communities.

Jim McHugh is inspired by the disappearing architectural landmarks of his childhood in Los Angeles. He makes portraits of the city’s other “celebrities”— the buildings around us, some forgotten and silent. Far more than simple documents of architecture, these photographs serve as powerful portraits, preserving impressions of character and personality from another time.

Historic passengerway at celebrated Los Angeles Union Station. Six Duratrans panels titled "High Hopes" by Jim McHugh. (photo Matt Levitch)

Celebrated photographer Douglas Kirkland, known for his timeless photographs of Marilyn Monroe, points his lens on a perhaps-less-glamorous subject, Jim McHugh, with lighting assistance from Tim Yarger of Timothy Yarger Fine Arts. Union Station opening celebration, May 3, 2014

"Far more than simple documents of architecture, these photographs serve as powerful portraits, preserving impressions of character and personality from another time."

– Heidi Zeller, MTA Creative Services

Color-proofing small Duratrans proofs for Union Station installation with master printer Joe Hill of Prolab Digital and Heidi Zeller of MTA Creative Services. (photo Matt Levitch)