The Los Angeles La Brea station

The Los Angeles La Brea Station by PETER

J. IOVIN ad

ANTHONY

LUMSDEN

preface This

article

a part

gives a description

of the overall

Southern

rapid

California

architectural of Kaiser portion

Rapid

Engineers

philosophy

and

employed

The

basic station

an origin

travel,

Travel-time

considerations

program.

to the nature

and

the

engineering

and

consisting The first

and station

second

Many

of these

portion

design

describes

same factors stations

patrons

to the system, developed

bus transfer stations

in the urban be

capacity.

center

will

Recognizing careful

However,

and

govern

Therefore,

accommodated

only in the manner

screening

community.

certain

Selection

area.

spacing of station

factors

with

the

automobile parking.

Urban

more

than

pedestrian to

stations

in and

at suburban concentrations

at suburban

interference

ex-

on walk-in

access and circulation

heavier

For

access to bring

locations,

sidewalk

ant1

flow

or

it is apparent that each station size reconsideration in its layout and development.

since

can be illustrated

the site elements

by a typical

are common

to all,

station

and

vary

in which they are accommodated.

to provide

adjacent

service Station

are more widely spaced

will depend

In all cases, one of the most important requirement

speed.

it is

modes

factors,

individual

plan

location.

site development.

upon

Conversely,

undue

most of these considerations

site development

surrounding

in nature,

adequate

vehicle

be much

by other

of these service

individual

element.

without these

system

rely heavily

such as the CBD

an important

needs

centers.

and thus require

areas

passengers.

becomes

must

of the

origin

in the urban

the service

of the area, i.e., whether of the location

a balance

largely

the most important

satisfies

by station

on average

upon

stations,

densely

density

influenced

influence

stations

suburban

location

and character

relative

predicted

that suburban

than destination

relating

The

by several factors,

area, the accessibility

is also materially

has been

ample,

is dictated

How well a particular

is the most significant location

the

planning,

is

by the

La Brea station.

or destination

of surface

quires

the entire

location

is service.

of an area is related

must

The

which

Angeles

Considerations

of which

result

District.

station

for Los

was performed by a joint venture Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall.

Daniel,

for

La Brea

proposed

deals with the general

of the Hollywood

General

system

Transit

design of the facilities

of this article

features

of the Hollywood

transit

areas,

a pleasant

Landscaping visually

aspects

surrounding dividing

the overall site to the surroundings.

501

can

of site development

for both the transit assist

large

in

areas

accomplishing to add

is the

patron this

character,

and by and

Peter J. Iovin

and Anthony

Lumsden

Access and site circulation are important in all stations, and vital in suburban areas. Access to the site from the surrounding area is best provided where several routes and entry points can be developed. This will reduce conflict with other traffic during peak hours, and also facilitate movement of transit oriented traffic. These considerations are also improved for the private automobile where site access is not made directly from major arterials, but rather from secondary streets where some queuing capacity can be provided. However, a large percentage of transit patrons will utilize the feeder bus system to reach the stations. Bus operations are best accommodated on the major arterials where local service is also required and where greater street width and capacity permit easier bus operation and better scheduling. Therefore, station sites must be easily accessible from major arterials and as close to them as practicable to provide direct routes and avoid delays in bus operation. Within the site, passenger safety and convenience are best served if the various feeder modes are physically separated from each other, and from pedestrian circulation. Also, passenger loading and unloading must be as convenient to station entrances as possible. This is generally accomplished by providing off-street bus loading areas at one side of the station complex, adjacent to the street and automobile loading areas, with short-term parking for “kiss and ride” patrons on the opposite side of the station. This short-term parking area must be separated from the long-term parking areas and also have a separate vehicle entrance to avoid traffic conflict. Further, pedestrian access to these areas should not cross vehicle circulation patterns. Long-term parking areas must accommodate both vehicular circulation seeking a parking stall and pedestrian circulation leading to the station entrance. The patterns must be arranged to minimize conflict, improve safety, and to reduce delay. This is best accomplished with multiple vehicle entrances leading directly to circulation aisles, and with wheel bumpers between parking aisles spaced adequately to permit pedestrian circulation between parked automobiles rather than in the drive aisles. These pedestrian aisles should lead to a central walkway leading directly to the station.

PETER J. IOVIN

is Project

Engineers-Daniel,

Mann,

Manager

for the joint venture

Johnson and

Mendenhall,

the Southern California

Rapid Transit

elor of Science

in civil engineering

degree

and is a member of the Institute of Naval

Architects

transportation tion Agency

and Marine

projects

related

in Washington,

and the Port Authority

District.

from

Rutgers

Bay Area

Trans-Hudson

University

and the Society

He has been involved in

to the National the

to

He received a Bach-

for Rapid Transit Engineers.

of Kaiser

consultants

Capital

Rapid

Transporta-

Transit

District,

system in the New York City

area.

502

Journal of the Franklin Institute

Los Angeles

La Brea Station

At each station, space should be provided for a paved pedestrian area around the station. This space will alleviate pedestrian congestion and cross movements adjacent to the station entry during peak hours.

Station Design Stations are conceived to be incorporated into the community environment in a positive manner with the ability to be a strong design element adding visual scale to the neighborhood. The transit system may either blend, complement, or contrast without being obtrusive, with the surroundings both initially and in the future. The multi-level concourse platform systems will allow for extensions, equipment additions, station enclosure and potential use of air rights around and over the station. The basic function of the station is to accomplish a transfer between various travel modes for large numbers of people in the most direct manner, conveniently and quickly. A certain degree of standardization will establish an identity for the transit system as a whole and enable patrons to find their way easily, even in stations new to them. Standardization of certain elements throughout all stations is also necessary from the standpoint of economy and function. Continuity is achieved by the use of special materials, certain standard items of equipment and prefabricated units, and similar orientation of spaces and their relationships in all stations. The best solutions are repeated where applicable and form the basis of the system. Site conditions, location, r.o.w. structure type, and passenger volumes result in variations in the facilities within the framework of these established standards. Station areas basically related to passenger movement are platforms, concourse area, and horizontal and vertical connections between these areas and the street or buildings. Visual connection between spaces and elements of the station have been given a high priority. Open mezzanines which bridge the platforms present both horizontal and vertical views to orient the passenger; high-ceilinged platform spaces without obstructions reduce the sense of enclosure and, in subway facilities, a labyrinth of passages and spaces should be avoided. Glassed access bridges afford visual openness in areas connecting

ANTHONY Urban tects

J.

Design and

Daniel,

engineers

Architecture is a

LUMSDEN, for

degree

member

Royal Institute

of the

of from

RIBA, Mann,

is Director Johnson

Los Angeles. the

He

University

Royal Australian

and

of

Architecture Mendenhall,

received

a

Bachelor

of Sydney, Australia, Institute

and archi-

of Architects

of and and

of British Architects.

Vol. 286, No. 5, November 1968

503

Peter

J. Iovzn

concourse

and

Anthony

and platforms

assist the movement ness and feeling passenger

of safety,

lated primarily movement

to be cyclic variations

and glassed

through

a rigorous are

A feeling relating

analysis

of the

of the station

tial that the transit

as part

facilities,

of the city. A major

articu-

definition

achieved

sized to allow

passenger-

of spaciousness,

achieved

of the stations,

and is the basis of the facilities factor.

Skylights,

trees, and landscaped

internal

also The

the areas

to functions

the determining

area afford views of buildings,

in passenger-recognition awareness

and width

They

to his aware.

and confusion.

to another,

and with some nodal

and discontinuous.

sensibilities

stations.

any apprehension

spaces are adequately

in height

has been developed Human

separation These

ground

areas and contribute

one area of the facility

by vertical

and lighting.

and above

between

thus reducing

from

by volume

design.

in the aerial

of the passenger

proceeds

through

Lumsden

organization

of the community

of

openings

plazas;

the

and landscape.

like the system as a whole,

assist

facility;

It is essen-

perpetuate

effort has been made to make the facilities

allow

the vitality

equitable

with

the rest of the city’s artifacts.

Hollywood

La Brea

La Brea midway

station

between

(Figs.

Sunset

rapidly-developing The

Station A, B) is on the San Fernando Boulevard

commercial

area is presently

and Hollywood

and apartment

served

in routing

to provide

boarding

alighting

are located

Avenue

and adjacent

passengers

have

to the station, immediate

Bus stops at the station

in an area of

close

to the station

which

have

easier and safer access to the station. on

Hawthorne

convenient

access

in Hollywood

buildings.

by bus lines

been modified

line

Boulevard

to the

Avenue

and

But

Lakewood

to the escalators

and stairs,

station

crossing

a street.

the heavily-trafficed

La Brc;c

have been removed

from

without

so that

Avenue. Rather than surface amenity, advantage

of this entire

buildings is no

developing especially

for

tracks, the station This

earth

the street

right-of-way impossible

maintaining

is to use unretained of restricted

to the station

street

La Brea.

traffic

Since

above

the

there transit

platform

cut

wall construction

construction and natural

right-of-way

and

by carrying

method

costs required

slope,

but

this

ground

is ~tsually

buildings.

the walls vertical11

to a mezzanine

costs, level

the walls where

the earth slopes back, resulting

and maximum

38 I’eet

for below

neighboring

and its associated

vertically

area. Then

structural

the top of the rail is approximately

space created

are carried

lower plaza promenade retaining

by old one- and two-story

it reaches

existing

level. An inexpensive

because

to the platform

before

light and avoids the expensive

and traffic where

avoid the not-so-pleasant adjacent

is now occupied

of Selma

is left open to the sky (Fig. C).

admits natural

to support below

site, which

at the termination

requirement

a conventional subway station, with ver)’ little to the non-transit user, it was decided to take

view by the passenger

To

K8 f’eet adj;~c.ent

there

is ;I

in minimum at pl;~cl’ot-III

level.

504

Journal

of the Franklin

Institute

Los

Angeles

La Brea

Station

Passengers have the advantage of being able to wait for their trains in the usually comfortable Los Angeles climate. For inclement weather, 200 feet of the station is covered. The open station does not require air conditioning which would otherwise be required for the high-speed trains in tubes, especially with the long tube-run under the mountains between this station and the San Fernando valley. Escalators and stairs from the upper park plaza lead directly to the ticket concourse at each end of the station (Fig. D). At the ticket concourse the commuter with a valid ticket inserts it in a turnstile and proceeds by escalators to the platform level. Ticketing areas at the ends of the platforms at the mezzanine level contain turnstiles, emergency exit gates, money changers, coin dispensers and transfer dispensers. Escalation at the ends of the platform avoids bottlenecks in passenger circulation, assist-the-passenger orientation and allows passage directly, without horizontal or vertical reversals of direction to and from destination and interface points. Ticketing at each end of the station increases station availability and facilitates passenger access. At the street and at the intermediate levels all the park plazas are accessible to the public without entering the station facilities (Fig. E). The park plazas are simply landscaped and should contribute substantially to the physical, social and aesthetic development of the neighborhood.

FIG. 4. Perspcctivc

view of the Hollywood

La Brea Station.

Peter

506

J. Iovin

and Anthony Lumsden

Jourxl

of the Franlilin

Instituk

FIG. C. Aerial view of the Station looking west.

FIG. D. La Brea Station entry from upper plaza.

Peter

J.

Zovin

and Anthony

Lumsden

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I

Journal of the Franklin Institute