East L.A. / Pasadena

Disappointing art at the new Gold Line Metro stations

by carollightwood
meto train at East Los Angeles gold line station
The Gold Line train ready to pull out of the East L.A. station. Shielding passengers from sun and rain are California golden poppies. It’s amazingly creative!  Fun, too!

I love the original Metro stations for the Gold and Red lines here in Los Angeles.  The artwork, commissioned from local artists in the late 1990s, is exuberant and wildly creative as you can see by the examples I’m including in the post.

During the more recent construction of the Gold Line extension I had heard that some bureaucrats at the Metro headquarters were complaining that the stations did not have a standardized appearance.  Their argument was that visitors could not easily find the stations unless they had a standard look.

Azusa Gold Line station
The boring Gold Line station at APU Citrus in Azusa. It’s currently the end of the Gold Line.

What a silly comment! As far as I can tell the ‘standard’ used to recognize the stations is the big blue circle with the big white ‘M’ in it. It’s visible on appropriate street corners all over the city.

bench at APU Citrus station
Tiled bench at Azusa
Gold Line station.

Sadly the bureaucrats won.  The new Metro stations beyond Sierra Madre Villa are boring. Boring. Boring. Tiled benches at Azusa, tile on the base of the pillars at another station, a tall ‘vase-looking’ thing at the City of Hope.

In this post I’ll show you examples of the amazing artwork at the original Gold Line stations.  In my next post I’ll show the art at the Red stations.  Those works of are, too, are breathtakingly original and memorable for visitors and locals alike.

For whatever it is worth, there seemed to be more passengers than usual when I was on the Gold Line on Saturday. I’m sure it is far more convenient for residents out in the burbs to come into the city on the Metro, than drive on the 210 Freeway.

guardian angel Southwest Museum station
A guardian angel on top of a tall pillar at the Southwest Museum station. There are three of these tiled figures surrounding the station. They are so emblematic of Los Angeles.
birds nest at Soto Gold Line station
A wire ‘birds nest’ with a blue ‘egg’ in the ceiling of the Soto station. On the wall at the back is a huge tile map of the area. The Gold Line is a subway here and I first saw this artwork from below. coming up on the escalator. It was an amazing sight!
Atlantic Gold Line station
White ‘sails’ against a blue sky at the Atlantic Gold Line station.
Pico Aliso Gold Line station masks
Not easily seen from the station platform, a series of portraits of Angelenos from the neighborhood are on the Pico Aliso Gold Line station roofline.
Memorial Park station Pasadena
The Memorial Park station is the closest one to Old Town Pasadena and is where the Gold Line plunges under the 210 freeway before turning east. Pasadena is known as the ‘crown city’ and a crown is depicted in the art work.  (Perhaps ironically?)
Gold Line Allen station art
A detail of a massive grill framing the street level entrance to the Allen Gold Line station. It is under the 210 freeway on Allen Street.
South Pasadena Walking man statue
The “Walking Man” statue at the South Pasadena station is right by a small pleasant park. Several cafes and restaurants are within a block or two. The official name of the sculpture is “Astride-Aside”.  I like “Walking Man” better.

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