The Pacific Wagon Restaurant building is a historical and cultural monument where the city’s dignitaries once dined. Seriously damaged in fire Saturday.
Seventy-five firefighters responded to the fire when the fire broke out outside the century-old restaurant shortly after midnight and spread to the building itself, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. The fire took about an hour to put out.
The restaurant building, located in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood, is currently vacant, with tents, mattresses and charred shopping carts visible on the north side. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Humphrey said the origin of the fire is unclear, but firefighters believe it was caused by a debris or trash fire.
“We got a lot of calls from people today. They were almost heartbroken. I think a lot of people have family members who have been there,” he said.
A fire destroyed the historic Pacific Meals on Wheels restaurant building on Saturday.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Food Truck closed permanently in 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. With its stained glass, dark wood interior and high-back chairs, the restaurant has been a 24-hour gourmet venue for politicians, business leaders, entertainment figures and anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion.
“This is where the power brokers of Los Angeles go,” said Adrian Scott Fine, president of the Los Angeles Conservancy, a group dedicated to historic preservation.
Fine said the Pacific Food Truck is a “traditional business,” the equivalent of Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood or Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood, serving steaks and other hearty fare — like iceberg lettuce with candied bacon — on tap all the time. late into the night.
Last year, the city council designated a portion of the site as a historical and cultural monument — a portion that was “designed to resemble a railroad dining car,” according to the city’s report on the monument application.
The building reportedly opened in 1921 at Seventh and West Lake Streets and moved to its current location at Sixth and Witmer Streets in 1923. Over the next few decades, the restaurant continued to expand.
Footage of Saturday’s fire was posted on Platform X, showing flames burning through the roof of the tram section.
There is currently a For Sale sign on the property’s exterior. According to Eater LA , members of the ownership family have been divided over the future of the site in recent years.
A firefighter descends a ladder after working on the roof of the burned-out Pacific Food Truck building on Sixth Street.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Over the past century, the Pacific Dining Car has been popular with celebrities such as Mae West and gossip columnist Luella Parsons, while also serving as the backdrop for movies, according to the restaurant’s website.
Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Hernandez, who represented the area from 1991 to 2001, said he knew nothing about Pacific Food Trucks before entering politics. But once he ran for office, he made regular trips there to meet with potential supporters.
During his final years at the restaurant, long after he stepped down, Hernandez and his family celebrated New Year’s Eve dinner at the restaurant many times.
“If you want to be seen and you want to meet people, Pacific Dining Cart is the place to go,” he said.
