NoHo Walking Tour Cache...
Visit a little piece of North Hollywood History at the old train depot.
The depot that still stands here today is one of the oldest existing structures in the San Fernando Valley, and has been named a cultural and historic monument by the city of Los Angeles.
When it first opened in 1893, this train depot was crucial to the rapid growth of the town that was first called Toluca, then Lankershim, and finally, North Hollywood. In a few decades, the area was transformed from having only a few buildings and fruit farms to a bustling urban center.
The depot was moved 50 feet to make room for the new Red Car trolley line, which began operating through this station in 1911. Through both World War I and World War II, freight trains and Red Car trolleys ran through the depot on a daily basis as the community of North Hollywood exploded.
By the early 1950s the private automobile had eclipsed rail as the preferred method of transportation. The last Red Car trolley left the North Hollywood depot bound for downtown on Dec. 28, 1952, and was soon replaced with a motor coach (bus) line. The automobile, and a cruising lifestyle, was fast overtaking the Valley.
The depot still operated serving the Southern Pacific freight line until 1958. At that point, Henricks Building Supply began selling building and lumber supplies out of the former depot and thrived until Southern Pacific abandoned the tracks in 1993, at which point Henricks closed. Since then, the depot has sat abandoned but until recently when it was fully refurbished to its original appearance by Metro and the City of LA.
This is a great place to visit and experience a little bit of old LA. While here be sure to head across the street to check out the North Hollywood History walking tour signs!