The original Angels Flight Railway opened on Bunker Hill in 1901. The funicular railway was built by J.W. (James Ward) Eddy, and connected Hill and Olive Streets. Over the next sixty years a number of different owner-operators controlled Angels Flight. In 1962, the City of Los Angeles forced sale to the City. The City hired the Oliver and William Elevator Co. to run the railway until it was dismantled in 1969. Meant to be a temporary closure while the City undertook improvements to the Bunker Hill area, much of the railway was put into storage at this time.

In the 1980s, the Los Angeles 200 Committee, who was planning celebrations for the bicentennial of the City’s founding, learned the state of the Angels Flight restoration. In 1991, the City finally began restoration efforts under the auspices of the Angels Flight Railway Foundation. The re-opening gala took place February 24, 1996. The railway was closed for further restoration and safety upgrades once more from 2014 to 2017. The three items in this collection are directly related to the Grand Re-Opening held February 24, 1996.