With the opening of service at the new Gold Line train station still at least two or three years away, the City of Arcadia and the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority opened the adjacent Arcadia Transit Plaza to the public Nov. 6. T
he triangular plaza on the northwest corner of First Avenue and Santa Clara Street, across from 24 Hour Fitness, fills the land space between the train station and the two-level 300-space parking garage that will not be opened until at least 2015.
The ceremony included numerous Arcadia Mayors, past and present, and comments from the President of the Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association, Matt McSweeny of Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant.
Mayor John Wuo
The plaza offers a number of distinctive features determined by the Arcadia City Council with input from the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and others. Among them are benches themed to the Santa Anita Park horse race track, a clock tower and early 20th century-style lamp posts, both of which light up at night. Also featured in addition to landscaped walking paths is a stage to be used for small performances and events, as well as a holiday tree that will eventually grow big enough to warrant a tree-lighting ceremony.
The Gold Line plans a dedication ceremony next year for the “station” – actually the platform between the two tracks with two canopies — when the decorative work on the roofs on each canopy and the benches and art elements are complete, By then, two additional elements are expected to have been added to the Arcadia Transit Plaza: a way-finding kiosk highlighting areas of Downtown Arcadia and other notable nearby sites, as well as the Arcadia Historical Society’s new History Lives Here marker summarizing and showing photos of the site’s original train station spearheaded by Arcadia founder Lucky Baldwin across the street from his Oakwood Hotel where 24 Hour Fitness now stands. <More photos below…> — By Scott Hettrick
Nine Arcadia Mayors and Gold Line officials.
Officials from Gold Line and Arcadia elected officials.
Matt McSweeny speaks as Mayor Wuo watches.
