Bergamot Station in Santa Monica
In 1875, the Red Line trolley ran from Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier. The city of Santa Monica was officially founded that year as well, but its roots stretch back another hundred years when the Spanish first camped near what one day would become Wilshire Boulevard. Along that trolley line, there was a stop named Bergamot Station, named after a type of mint flower that grew in the area. In 1953, the trolleys stopped running, and the station’s warehouses were given over to a celery packing operation. Over the years, place kept transforming, from celery packing to ice-making plant, even to a company that made water heaters. The city of Santa Monica considered making the place into a station stop again, but when the plans for light rail were halted, the place sat empty. Eventually, though, Bergamot Station found a new life, and its name is now synonymous with one of the more interesting art galleries and cafes in Santa Monica.
This complex of galleries was officially opened in September of 1994, sixteen years ago, and is now a destination point for travelers both nationally and internationally. If you’ve come to stay in a Santa Monica hotel and wish to spend a day seeing art, the Bergamot Station is an ideal choice. For years, this site seemed to be a well kept secret, one of the pleasure you might find when driving around Santa Monica, but the secret has leaked out, and the station now sees perhaps six hundred thousand visitors in a year. It’s the largest art gallery complex in Southern California, taking up eight acres, which contains not only contemporary art galleries, but architecture and design firms, a frame shop, and the Santa Monica Museum of Art. It also has a terrific little Gallery Cafe, perfect to stop in, have lunch, and see any one of thirty plus galleries. While closed on Sundays, the cafe is open from nine to four (Monday), nine to five (Tuesday through Friday) and ten to five (Saturday). The cafe address is the same as the station: 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404.
Tags: Santa Monica hotel, type of mint flower that grew in the area