NORTH HOLLYWOOD >> It had been 65 years since transit commuters streamed into a North Hollywood railroad depot that put the southeast San Fernando Valley on the map.
On Friday, Metro passengers flooded into the Lankershim Depot during a driving rain as Los Angeles officials cut the ribbon on its Groundwork cafe.
“This is truly an exciting day for us,” said John Fasani, chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “We conducted a major transformation to preserve this historic facility for the Valley … for future public use.
“In short, we gave the depot a new lease on life.”
The official grand opening of the Groundwork Coffee Co. cafe drew dozens of hipsters and transit officials to the Victorian-era station at South Chandler and Lankershim boulevards, at the terminus of the Metro Orange Line busway.
• PHOTOS: Ribbon-cutting ceremony at North Hollywood’s Lankershim Depot
The wooden depot, built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1896, had once shipped peaches and other produce behind steam locomotives from what was once known as the town of Lankershim, “home of the peach.”
In 1911, it served as a station for the Pacific Electric Red Car line whose trolleys ferried passengers across the Valley until Dec. 28, 1952.
The state historic landmark, which had fallen into ruin, was then restored by Metro for $3.6 million.
The 3,000-square-foot building, now topped by a “Southern Pacific – Pacific Electric Station” sign, is now painted in its original mustard yellow, with hazelnut trim.
Its new Groundwork cafe at 11275 Chandler Blvd., and its nearby “roastery,” serve as the hippest additions to an up-and-coming NoHo Arts District.
As a jazz trio played Miles Davis, residents celebrated the organic cafe born three decades ago in Venice Beach, with 10 hot spots now in L.A. and Portland.
From between its open-beam ceiling and rustic wooden floors, Groundwork baristas dished out cappuccinos and breakfast burritos to 20- and 30-something patrons amid antique coffee grinders, Old World benches and funky credenzas.
A former railroad ticket window will now allow commuters to grab a little joe on the go.
“Pretty cool,” said Scott Byrne, 32, a photographer for the entertainment industry, who lives in a downtown loft and gets around solely on public trains and buses. “It’s a great location. It’s great to see them repurpose a place like this.”
The depot turnaround and its cafe tenant were two decades in the making, stalled by a lack of funds, planning and the end of a local redevelopment agency, architects say. Its restoration was completed three years ago by contractor Wade Robinson, who made over the Idle Hour cafe.
The depot, owned by Metro, will soon include a new pocket park that may include a vintage locomotive or rail car. In honor of North Hollywood’s roots, a peach tree was donated by Moon Valley Nursery.
“I love it,” said Thomas Michali, its architect. “I am pleased, pickled and delighted.”
Councilman Paul Krekorian said his mother once rolled out of the North Hollywood depot on a Pacific Red Car bound for the beach for a nickel.
He said the restored depot represents a restoration of the region’s once vast transit system, thanks to a recent voter-approved Measure M sales tax.
“We’ve done a fabulous job bringing it back to its glory,” he said. “And Groundwork has done a fabulous job of bringing it back to life.
“This depot represents a bridge between the Valley of the past, and the Valley of the future.”
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