Los Angeles Funicular Reopens
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Mar. 31, 2010
"Angels Flight is a unique, irreplaceable link, both physically, from Bunker Hill to the Historic Core, and figuratively, from our past to our present," says Linda Dishman, executive director of the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Credit: Jon Sullivan
For the first time in nine years, the historic funicular that climbs Bunker Hill in Los Angeles is back in action.
Built in 1901 by engineer and Civil War veteran Colonel J.W. Eddy, the Angels Flight Railway ran until 1969, when the city shut it down as part of an urban renewal project. The railway reopened in 1996 but closed in 2001, when two cars collided, killing an 83-year-old man and injuring seven others.
After the accident, the Angels Flight Railway Foundation, which has owned the line since 1996, began a multi-phase restoration project. First, the two damaged funicular cars were repaired in 2002. Restoration of the station house and arch at the bottom of Bunker Hill were completed in 2007, and safety improvements were implemented by March 2009. The California Public Utilities Commission approved the restored safety documentation in November 2009, clearing the path for the official reopening on Mar. 15.
"There has been an outpouring of support to put Angels Flight back in service," foundation chairman Dennis R. Luna said in a statement. Contributors to the foundation's $3.5 million fundraising campaign included the Ahmanson Foundation, Maguire Properties, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.
About 2,900 people hopped aboard the restored railway on its first day service, according to John Welborne, president of the Angels Flight Railway Foundation and a former trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The cars are so beautiful," he says. "It's like riding in a 100-year-old antique chest."
Subscribe to the Today's News RSS feed
Comments
