Photographer Ken Karagozian, who began documenting L.A. Metro construction workers in 1995, has collaborated with historian India Mandelkern on a photo book titled "Wilshire Subway: The Making of the D Line Subway Extension." The book chronicles the history, conflicts, and the workers behind the D Line extension along Wilshire Boulevard, ahead of its May 8 opening. A related exhibition, "Wilshire Subway: Photographed by Ken Karagozian," is on view at the 1301PE art gallery through May 14.
This project matters because it elevates the often-invisible laborers—construction workers, engineers, and electricians—who built a major public transit infrastructure in Los Angeles, giving them the intimate documentation Karagozian felt they deserved. By combining photography and oral history, the book and exhibition reframe the subway's controversial development as a human story, highlighting the persistence of rail-building ambition in a city known for its horizontal sprawl.