Westlake/MacArthur Park station
Los Angeles Metro station
Westlake/MacArthur Park station is an underground rapid transit station on the B Line and D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westlake, after which the station is named, along with MacArthur Park, which is located across the street. Unlike most of Metro's other underground stations, which are built directly under a street, the Westlake/MacArthur Park platform is located south of Wilshire Boulevard and between 7th Street. This design allowed a train storage area to be built under MacArthur Park, and necessitated draining the lake for several years to excavate and build the tracks.
Westlake/MacArthur Park is one of L.A's five original subway stations: when it opened in 1993, it was the western terminus of the Red Line, before completion of the Wilshire/Western branch (now called the D Line) in 1996 and the North Hollywood branch (now called the B Line) in 2000.
Right outside the station, one can see MacArthur Park and a street scene of the neighborhood's largely Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduran residents stand in stark contrast to the metropolitan environment dotted with skyscrapers just one station to the east.
History
Westlake/MacArthur Park was constructed by the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which later became part of today's LA Metro, as part of the first minimum operating segment (MOS-1) of the Metro Rail subway line. Ground was broken for the project in September 1986. Construction of the short 4.5-mile (7.2 km) starter line was challenging, and the Westlake/MacArthur Park station was one of the most ambitious parts of the project.
Crews built a storage and turnback location for trains under MacArthur Park.
The public source identifies “Westlake/MacArthur Park station” as los Angeles Metro station. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Westlake, MacArthur and Park.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Westlake/MacArthur Park station”, the useful work is to connect “los Angeles Metro station” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2690377. Authority coordinates are 34.057, -118.276. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1993, 1996, 2000 and 1986.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Westlake/MacArthur Park station”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Westlake/MacArthur Park station primary sources, Westlake/MacArthur Park station archive and Westlake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Westlake/MacArthur Park station”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Westlake/MacArthur Park station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.