Union Station, California

The first use of Union Station, before it even opened to the public, was for a promotional event for a Hollywood movie called Union Pacific. Since the beginning, special events and filming seem to overshadow the structure's use as a train station. It was built as the main Los Angeles passenger terminal for all three major railways operating in the West (Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe). Squabbles between the companies delayed construction until 1939. By the 1980's it was an elegant but pigeon-filled hulk. The owners of the building renovated it in 1994, and it is once again open as a passenger railway terminal. Not all of Union Station is open to the public however. Part of the renovation plan was to keep portions of the building open only to high-paying special events, and filming. Films shot at Union Station include Nick of Time, Blade Runner, City of Angels, Bugsy, The Dark Knight Rises, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In 2011, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) purchased Union Station for $75 million, and not long thereafter, initiated a long range, ambitious plan to greatly expand and upgrade the station.