Wilshire/La Cienega station

Wilshire/La Cienega
Wilshire/La Cienega station under construction in July 2025
General information
Location	8485 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°3′55″N118°22′33″W / 34.06528°N 118.37583°W / 34.06528; -118.37583
Owned by	Los Angeles Metro
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Under construction
History
Opening	Fall 2025
Future services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Terminus D Line Extension Section 1 Wilshire/Fairfax toward Union Station Beverly Drive toward Century City D Line Extension Section 2
Location

Wilshire/La Cienega station is an under construction, underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system in the South East region Beverly Hills, California, at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard. ^[1] It is in the design/construction phase of the D Line Extension project. ^[2] The tunneling work from the east (Wilshire/La Brea station) was completed in May 2021 and the tunneling work from the west (Wilshire/Rodeo) was completed in January 2023. ^[3] Originally the project was slated for completion in 2023. The station's opening is now scheduled for fall 2025. ^[4]

Station site and layout

Located at the intersection Wilshire Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard, the new, one-story subway station will provide access to the trains below via escalators, elevators, and stairs. The entrance will be located on the northeast corner of the intersection. Underground, the station will include an upper level concourse for ticketing, and at the level of the tracks a passenger platform for boarding and egress. ^{[5] [6]}

The site of the new station was formerly occupied by a Citibank. It was demolished circa 2016 to provide a temporary staging yard. Another staging yard is at the northwest corner of Wilshire and Gale Drive, where Luther Burbank Savings had been located. These yards support the multi-year construction project.

Local attractions

Adjoining the new northeast-corner station will be the following.

• On the northwest corner, a three-story structure for Cedars-Sinai offices, and a Wells Fargo branch.
• On the southwest corner, a 10-story office building, with a Chase branch. ^[7] On its ninth floor is the Turkish Consulate. ^[8]
• On the southeast corner, a 10-story, oval-footprint office building. Its architectural panache initially served to advertise itself as the headquarters of Great Western Savings. In a 1997 merger GW was acquired by Washington Mutual. ^[9] WaMu's branch there was held up in 2003. ^[10] The branch closed in 2008 following WaMu's purchase by JPMorgan Chase. ^[11] The building itself was sold by Larry Flynt in 2013 to Douglas Emmett, ^{[12] [13]} a listed real estate company. Outside, a large equestrian statue of John Wayne (crafted in Italy) stands near the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Hamilton Drive. ^{[14] [15]} The building's third floor houses the Brazilian Consulate. ^[16]

From the site of the new station, going south on La Cienega Boulevard a block and a half, is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library. Across La Cienega to the east is the triangular La Cienega Park. On Wilshire Boulevard, two commercial theaters are short walks away: for stage shows to the east the Saban Theatre; for film to the west the Fine Arts Theatre by Screening Services Group. ^[17] Restaurant Row stretches north along La Cienega. ^{[7] [5]}

References

1. Chiland, Elijah (February 12, 2020). "A guide to Metro's D Line subway. Formerly known as the Purple Line, the train will eventually reach LA's westside". Curbed Los Angeles . Vox Media . Retrieved May 11, 2021.
2. "Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project". Los Angeles Metro . Retrieved October 25, 2022.
3. McLawhorn, Jennifer (April 4, 2024). "LA Metro Finishes 5 Years of Tunneling for D Line Subway Extension Project". RT&S . Simmons-Boardman Publishing . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
4. Mandelkern, India (July 23, 2025). "D Line Subway Extension Section 1 update: Ninety-eight percent finished and counting". The Source. Los Angeles Metro . Retrieved July 24, 2025.
5. "Purple Line Extension Project Section 1 Station Locations – Summer 2016" (PDF).
6. Curwen, Thomas (May 14, 2017). "Climb inside the massive tunnel 60 feet below downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 9, 2018.
7. Brightwell, Eric (August 28, 2012). "Exploring the Planned Course of the Metro Purple Line Extension". KCETLink . KCET . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
8. "Announcements from Consulate". Turkish Consulate General in Los Angeles. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
9. Stavro, Barry (June 14, 1997). "Shareholders approve Great Western merger"". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
10. Krikorian, Greg; Haines, Errin (February 15, 2003). "1 Killed, 1 Flees in Bank Shoot-out". Los Angeles Times .
11. Ellis, David (September 26, 2008). "JPMorgan buys WaMu. In the biggest bank failure in history, JPMorgan Chase will acquire massive branch network and troubled assets from Washington Mutual for $1.9 Billion". CNN Money . CNN . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
12. Hayden, Erik (May 15, 2013). "Larry Flynt sells Hustler HQ for $89 Million". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
13. "Douglas Emmett | Lease Office Space & Apartments | Los Angeles & Hawaii". Douglas Emmett. Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
14. Kamm, Henry (June 24, 1984). "John Wayne Rides Again". The New York Times . The New York Times Company . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
15. Wayne, Gary. "The John Wayne Statues". Seeing Stars in Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
16. "Consulado Los Angeles". Consulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
17. "Ranked Highest in Variety's – Small is Beautiful". www.studioscreenings.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.