Westlake in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

1st Street Viaduct

Over Glendale Boulevard

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2023

1. 1st Street Viaduct Marker

Inscription. The 1st Street Viaduct over Glendale Boulevard is a reinforced concrete bridge with a box girder design constructed between 1940 and 1942. Designed by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, the viaduct has Moderne-style architectural features integrated with smooth surfaces that show the influence of International Style Modernism. The reinforced concrete bridge section is 562 feet long and the entire structure, including approach spans and abutments, is 974 feet long, making the viaduct one of the largest road-to-road grade separations in Los Angeles dating from before the freeway system. The 1st Street Viaduct over Glendale Boulevard has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Caltrans Statewide Historic Bridge Inventory. In 2017, the viaduct was seismically retrofitted with reinforced foundations and steel jackets at column bases. The bridge deck was widened by 2.5 feet on each side. The retrofit and widening necessitated the removal of the viaduct's distinctive railings, light poles, abutment pylons, railing caps, and stepped walls. The railings and light poles were salvaged and reused to the extent possible and replaced in kind when necessary. The pylons, railing caps, and stepped walls were reconstructed to match the original Art Moderne design.

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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Bridges & Viaducts • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.

Location. 34° 3.683′ N, 118° 15.52′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Westlake. It is on Toluca Street just north of 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1329 W 2nd St, Los Angeles CA 90026, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Fire Station Number 6 (approx. half a mile away); Russell House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Temple Street Grade Separation (approx. 0.6 miles away); Carroll Avenue (approx. 0.6 miles away); Department of Water and Power (approx. 0.6 miles away); Winston House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Kaiser House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bates House (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Regarding 1st Street Viaduct. An excellent and rare example of a 1940s concrete bridge. The bridge was constructed to allow automobile traffic to pass over this busy intersection, bypassing a rail

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2023

2. 1st Street Viaduct Marker

Identical markers are at each end of the mural.

line that traveled from 2nd Street and Spring in downtown, north along Glendale Boulevard.
-from HistoricPlacesLA.org

In 1941, the Works Projects Administration (WPA) built a viaduct to take First Street over the Pacific Electric interurban trolley tracks that ran along Glendale Boulevard at the time. The viaduct is still in use, though Pacific Electric disappeared long ago.
“Designed to eliminate a major traffic problem on the Northwest side of Los Angeles,” the caption to a WPA photo notes, “the First and Glendale viaduct, a $475,000 WPA construction project, is scheduled for completion, under city sponsorship, approximately July 15, 1941. A WPA crew of 270 workers are engaged on the job. The viaduct will carry First Street over the busy Pacific Electric tracks on Glendale Boulevard, thus eliminating a hazard and expediting westbound traffic.”
From 1939 to the end of the program in 1943, the WPA was known as the Works Projects Administration rather than the original name, Works Progress Administration.
-from LivingNewDeal.org

The nearby Belmont Station Apartments, at 1304 W 2nd Street, were built on the site of the abandoned Pacific Electric Railway yard, powerhouse, and subway tunnel portal. The lobby has an impressive display of historic photos and artifacts located on the first and second floors. Behind the

1st Street Viaduct image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker

3. 1st Street Viaduct

apartment building are the abandoned powerhouse and subway tunnel portal, on private property, visible from Toluca Street. In 2005 they were declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 790.

Additional keywords. Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, LAHCM, HCM, 790

Photographed by Craig Baker

4. 1st Street Viaduct

5. 1st Street Viaduct

Pacific Electric Railway cars pass under the viaduct in the distance. This photo is part of a display in the nearby apartment building. Taken from above the subway tunnel portal. At lower left is the electric powerhouse.

Pacific Electric Powerhouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2023

6. Pacific Electric Powerhouse

Located behind the Belmont Station Apartments, it is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 790.

Subway Tunnel Portal image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, October 28, 2023

7. Subway Tunnel Portal

Built in 1925, the abandoned tunnel no longer goes through to the Subway Terminal Building. It is blocked by the foundation of a high-rise building.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 792 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on October 29, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.