Santa Ana Train Station, Santa Ana, CA
Used by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains.
The Pacific Surfliner service is primarily financed through funds made available by the State of California, Department of Transportation, and is managed by the LOSSAN Joint Powers Authority.
It is also a Greyhound station and a hub for the Orange County Transportation Authority bus system as well as a terminal for several Mexican bus tour companies.
The station was designed by the Blurock Partnership architectural firm in the Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival architectural styles to complement the region’s older buildings.
Features include red barrel roof tiles, arcades, colonnades, exterior walls finished to resemble stucco, and the extensive use of painted tiles for decoration.[5]
The last scene in the movie Rain Man was filmed at the station.
www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/santa-ana-ca-sna/
History
Completed in 1985 as part of a state effort to establish and grow a commuter rail system in southern California, the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC) is located east of downtown on seven acres. At the time, it was one of the largest train stations built since the mid-20th century. In addition to space for rail and bus passengers, the building also houses conference and event space as well as the Santa Ana WORK Center which provides job and workforce development services. The $17 million project was funded from the following sources: $2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation; $4.5 million from the California Department of Transportation; and the remainder from the city, including $6.2 million in redevelopment bonds.
The station was designed in a Mediterranean Revival style that complements much of the region’s older building stock. The height of the structure varies from two to five stories. Exterior walls are whitewashed to give the appearance of stucco, the roofs are laid in red Spanish tile, and a light brown stone is used for trim such as the starburst window above the main entrance. Spanish and Mission Revival architecture became quite popular in southern California starting in the late 19th century. Civic boosters promoted the related aesthetics as a way to tie to the state’s Spanish past, which was romanticized in order to attract settlers and to create a regional identity.
