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{{infobox station
 | image = File:Pacific Electric Building - Los Angeles.jpg
 | style = Pacific Electric 
 | caption = Pacific Electric Building, 2009
 | address= 610 S. Main Street<br />[[Los Angeles, California]]
 | opened = {{start date|January 15, 1905}}
 | closed = {{end date|April 9, 1961}}
 | tracks = 
 | other_services_header = Former services 
 | other_services_collapsible = yes 
 | other_services = {{Adjacent stations
|system1=Pacific Electric
|line1=Long Beach|left1=Slauson
|line2=Watts|left2=7th & Main|to-left2=Watts
|line3=San Pedro via Dominguez|left3=Amoco|note-mid3=(discontinued 1958)
|line4=Santa Monica Air Line|left4=Amoco
|line5=Pasadena Short Line|right5=Echandia
|line6=Pasadena via Oak Knoll|right6=Echandia
|line7=Monrovia–Glendora|right7=Echandia
|line8=Santa Ana|left8=Amoco|to-left8=Santa Ana SP Depot
|line9=Alhambra–San Gabriel|right9=Echandia
|line10=Upland–San Bernardino|right10=Echandia
|line11=Balboa|left11=Amoco
|line12=Riverside–Rialto|right12=Echandia
|line13=Redondo via Gardena|left13=Amoco
|line14=San Pedro via Gardena|left14=Amoco
|line15=Redlands|right15=Echandia
|line16=Whittier|right16=Echandia
|line17=South Pasadena|right17=5th & Main
|line18=Fullerton|right18=Echandia
|line19=La Habra–Fullerton–Yorba Linda|left19=Amoco|to-left19=Yorba Linda
|line20=Annandale|right20=Echandia|note-mid20=(discontinued 1928)
|line21=Glendale–Burbank|left21=Beverly & Glendale|note-mid21=(until 1925)
}}
 | nrhp =
{{Infobox NRHP | embed=yes
 | name = Pacific Electric Building
 | nrhp_type = 
 | designated_other1 = LAHCM
 | designated_other1_number = 104
 | coordinates = {{coord|34.04495445|-118.24992388|display=inline,title}}
 | locmapin = USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area#California#USA
 | area =
 | built = 1925
 | architect =
 | architecture = [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]], [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]
 | added = April 9, 2009<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=09000180}}</ref>
 | refnum = 09000180
}}
}}
The historic '''Pacific Electric Building''' (also known as the '''Huntington Building''', after the railway’s founder, [[Henry E. Huntington|Henry Huntington]], or simply “6th & Main”), opened in 1905 in the [[Historic Core, Los Angeles|core of Los Angeles]] as the main train station for the [[Pacific Electric Railway]], as well as the company's headquarters; '''Main Street Station''' served passengers boarding trains for the south and east of Southern California. The building was designed by architect [[Thornton Fitzhugh]]. Though not the tallest in Los Angeles, its ten floors enclosed the greatest number of square feet in any building west of Chicago for many decades. Above the train station, covering the lower floors, were five floors of offices; and in the top three was the [[Jonathan Club]], one of the city's leading businessmen's clubs introduced by magnates from the [[Northeastern United States |Northeast]].{{efn|The club moved to its own building on [[Figueroa Street]] in 1925.}} After the “Great Merger” of Pacific Electric into [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] in 1911, the PE Building became the home of Southern Pacific in Los Angeles. In 1925, a second electric rail hub, the [[Subway Terminal Building|Subway Terminal]], was opened near [[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]] to serve the north and west. 

==History==
===Inerurban terminal===
[[File:pac-elec-depot-1910.jpg|thumb|left|View north on Main Street {{circa|1910}}, with the '''Pacific Electric Building''' at the right.]]
The building opened on January&nbsp;15, 1905 as a terminal for the electric railways being constructed by [[Henry Huntington]].{{sfnp|Crump|1977|pp=76–77}} In 1914, a total of 1,626 scheduled Pacific Electric trains entered or left Los Angeles at Main Street Station in 3262 interurban car trips daily.<ref>{{cite book|last=Middleton|first=William D.|author-link= William D. Middleton|title=The Interurban Era|year=1961|page=304|publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]]|isbn=9780890240038}}</ref> The elevated tracks and passenger concourse on the back of the building were constructed in 1916.{{sfnp|Crump|1977|p=149}}

With the great rise in the number of automobiles in the 1920s, congestion&nbsp;— from the cars, from [[street running|sharing streets]] with the cars, from sharing the streets with [[Los Angeles Railway]]’s Yellow Cars&nbsp;— often caused PE trains to run late, especially while traveling north on Main Street towards Glendale, and west to Hollywood and Santa Monica. To relieve such problems, the California Railroad Commission issued Order No.&nbsp;9928 in 1922, which called for the [[Pacific Electric]] to build a [[Hollywood Subway|subway]] to leave downtown's busy streets.<ref name="PEWHS">{{cite web|url=http://www.erha.org/pewhs.htm |title=Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California |publisher=Erha.org |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref> The [[Subway Terminal Building]], a second PE terminal, was then built across downtown at the base of [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California|Bunker Hill]] at 4th and Hill Streets by Pershing Square to serve the subway, which opened December&nbsp;1, 1925, speeding passenger service considerably to Hollywood, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and Glendale.

Interurban rail service remained the 6th and Main PE Terminal's sole function until 1942. Trains entered the back (east side) on ground-level track from San Pedro Street, loaded and unloaded passengers inside the building concourse, then exited onto Main Street (west side) and turned north or south. (See the attached photograph accompanying this article.) In 1942, the terminal was converted to accommodate the Pacific Electric's growing fleet of [[bus]]es. Trains continued to enter and use the original concourse on New Year's Day to carry crowds to and from the [[Tournament of Roses]] events in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] until 1950 when Northern District ([[Pasadena Short Line|Pasadena]]–[[Sierra Madre Line|Sierra Madre]]–[[Monrovia–Glendora Line|Monrovia–Glendora]]) rail service was abandoned. After that, the PE concourse saw no trains and Main Street tracks were no longer used. Remaining [[Monrovia–Glendora Line|service to Glendora]], the Harbor, and to [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]] was provided at the rear of the PE terminal on outdoor passenger loading platforms and stub tracks at the rear (east side) of the PE Terminal. Trains used a ramp up from San Pedro Street that crossed Los Angeles Street to reach the loading platforms. Passengers walked into the terminal concourse via an enclosed bridge.

[[File:Pacific Electric Building and station.jpg|thumb|left|Behind the building, tracks in the yard elevated above the street serve interurbans, {{circa|1920}}]]
Over the next decade, interurban rail routes to [[Bellflower Line|Bellflower]], the [[Watts Line|Watts local]], and Long Beach and harbor area were abandoned and replaced by [[Motor bus|motor coaches]]. The last active route was the [[Long Beach Line]]. The final "Blimp" multiple unit interurban train to use the terminal (so named for their unusual plump size and round front windows) to [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] was on April&nbsp;9, 1961 and was in [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] green livery: no longer painted the famous and classic Pacific Electric red. [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority|MTA]] Bus service continued to operate from Sixth and Main until 1964. The MTA ran "Freeway Flyer" motor coach service to old PE destinations from the basement of the nearby Greyhound Terminal, and this continued during [[Southern California Rapid Transit District|'''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''D'''istrict (SCRTD)]] operations.

===After rail service===
Following the closure of the terminal's main floor depot, the former waiting room and bus concourse were converted to a parking garage. With the commercial and social decline of Main Street and the east side of downtown in general, the rented 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. Over 400 location shoots have taken place there, including scenes from ''[[Forrest Gump]]'', ''[[LA Confidential (film)|LA Confidential]],'' ''[[Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)|Jumpin' Jack Flash]]'' and interior shots for the 1970s ''[[The Streets of San Francisco|Streets of San Francisco]]'' TV series.

In 1908, [[Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet]] was opened on the lower floor of the building. Cole's claimed to be Los Angeles' oldest restaurant and pub that has been in operation since its founding, although it was closed in 2007 for renovation, reopening in December 2008. It is one of two local establishments which lay claim to having invented the [[French dip sandwich]]. Additionally, the structure held the architectural offices of [[Greene and Greene]] circa 1905.

[[File:Pacific Electric Building, 610 S. Main Downtown Los Angeles 6.jpg|thumb|right|The preserved facade of the building's [[pilaster]]s, 2014 ]]
In 2005, the building was converted by ICO Group into residential live/work lofts and is occupied by residents. Several commercial tenants have filled the first floor spaces along 6th Street. The original Cole's space was renovated and divided to add another restaurant and bar. The building lobby currently displays a number of artifacts left over from its days as once an exceptionally active interurban rail terminal. "DANGER" warnings are set into the sidewalk at the Main Street location where trains once entered and left the building, remaining as evidence of its original grand purpose.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dan Wiklund |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninedragons/4829848216/ |title=Pacific Electric Building (1905) downtown L.A. &#124; Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date=2010-11-22 |access-date=2014-04-29}}</ref>

[[File:Pacific Electric Building on the corner of Main Street and Sixth Street, ca.1905-1909 (CHS-2363).jpg|thumb|Pacific Electric Building {{circa|1905–1909}}]]

==See also==
* [[Pacific Electric Railway]]
* [[Subway Terminal Building]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title=Ride the big red cars: How trolleys helped build southern California |year=1977 |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |isbn=0-87046-047-1 |oclc=3414090 }}
*Crump, Spencer: ''Henry Huntington and the Pacific Electric Railway: A Pictorial Album'', (1982) 112 pages. Trans-Anglo Books, Corona Del Mar, CA.
*Swett, Ira L.: ''Lines of Pacific Electric, Interurbans Special #16'', (1953), and supplements (1954-1960). [[Interurban Press|Interurbans]], Glendale, CA.

==External links==
{{commonscat|Pacific Electric Lofts}}
*[http://www.erha.org/pelines/penmss.htm History of PE Building: Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California article]
*[http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=231792 Emporis Buildings entry for Pacific Electric Lofts]
*[http://www.navigatela.lacity.org/downtownla/incidents/DLAHistorical.cfm?PK=31 History and photos: Los Angeles Conservancy and Los Angeles City and Library article.]
*[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2632810?urlappend=%3Bseq=339 Article from 1917 ''Transit Journal'' with original floor plan]
*[http://www.pelofts.com Pacific Electric Lofts] ''Commercial website of developers for the Pacific Electric Building conversion.''

{{Pacific Electric Railway}}

[[Category:Pacific Electric stations]]
[[Category:Office buildings in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Headquarters in the United States]]
[[Category:Residential buildings in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Abandoned rapid transit stations]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1905]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1905]]
[[Category:Railway stations closed in 1961]]
[[Category:Main Street (Los Angeles)]]