Union Station is one of the best preserved buildings in Los Angeles that serves the purpose it was originally intended for. It's a train station, it remains a train station, and hopefully it will always be a train station. It's also gorgeous.
The area that was used for the shooting of the interiors of LAPD Headquarters was unused when Blade Runner was in production. It remains a blocked off but well-maintained wing of the building, and has appeared in scores of motion pictures. It is also rented out for parties and weddings.
Note the beautiful Art Deco mosaic floor, kept in pristine condition for the next shoot or special event. The tiles are made of various types of marble and other stone. It probably looks as good as it did when Union Station was dedicated in 1939.
Of course, this was not the only area of Union Station that was used in shooting Blade Runner. Compare the above picture with the one below:
The entire building is adorned with hand-painted Spanish-style decorative tile. I can't say it is the renowned "Catalina Tile" which was made and fired on Santa Catalina Island just off the coast of Southern California. However, it's beautiful, and carries the same Art Deco decorative touches as the rest of the building.
Again, Blade Runner was not the only movie shot at Union Station. In 1950 the station played host to a real Film Noir (instead of Neo-Noir as Blade Runner is more correctly called) entitled Union Station. The action in the movie supposedly took place at Chicago's train station of the same name, but it was actually shot here in LA. Much more convenient, of course, for Hollywood. Many of the areas (particularly the twisty, curvy catacomb-like tunnels) where the film was shot are actually no longer in existence, as they had to be demolished to make way for the Red Line.
S. Michelle Klein-Hass did this website. All original material on this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Anything that is not mine belongs to their respective creators. Blade Runner is a registered trademark of the Blade Runner Partnership. Ms. Klein-Hass has no connection with any of the mentioned venues or properties.