Vermont/Beverly is the first stop on the Red Line extension that branches off the original Red Line Branch that continues under Wilshire Blvd and was renamed the Purple Line in 2006. This station open as the first of five stops as an extension to Hollywood/Vine on June 12, 1999. The station is deep underground and has the usual island platform for the two track line. This platform has simple white pillars in the middle of the platform that hold up a ceiling that low towards each end of the the platform and higher in the middle where two combined escalator/staircases and an elevator lead-up to a small mezzanine area above the platform that is airy and overlooks the platforms. Large boulders are incorporated into the roof of the tunnel where it's size drops from double height to normal height. These are part of Untitled fittingly by George Stone. On one mezzanine wall are light boxes that show rotating exhibits.
There is just one bank of turnstiles along just one opening to the mezzanine. These lead out to a decent pre-fare control area. To reach the surface there is the bare minimum of one elevator and a wide tube of two escalators on each side of a staircase. These go up half-way before doubling back at an intermediate landing and continue up to the surface near the elevator. At the intermediate landing is a long band of mosaics abstractly depicting shoes. It is People in Motion added in 2010 by Tyree Guyton.
The escalators with the staircase in between arrive at the surface in a wide plaza at the NW corner of Beverly Blvd and Vermont Avenue. The staircase/escalators arrive at the surface beneath another display of boulders fixed into ceiling in an intermediate space being above the surface and underneath it viewed by all passengers descending to the metro. The plaza has a small cactus garden in the corner away from the intersection. The elevator landing has green framework around it and a similar green frence surrounds the opening (where boulders don't block it) of the entrance escalators.
Photos 1-8 taken on 17 March, 2008, 9-35: 19 January, 2014
Vermont/Santa Monica
Vermont/Beverly