Pacific Electric Building: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Automobile congestion and local streetcars repeatedly delayed trains on central avenues. State regulators required underground rail construction to bypass congested roads, which shifted western transit to a separate subway terminal. The company later replaced electric passenger lines with buses, eventually stripping tracks from the concourse. Former waiting rooms became a parking garage as rail operations ceased completely.

Commercial decline emptied the upper commercial offices, turning vacant suites into popular sets for movie and television shoots. On the ground floor, Cole's buffet has operated continuously since the early transit era, serving patrons through every phase of urban transition. Visitors walk through historic interior corridors where commuter crowds once boarded red cars, finding an active pub beneath quiet former corporate suites.