{"nrhp_refnum":"100011934","name":"Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel (Boundary Increase II)","other_names":["Kelso Depot","Kelso Station","Kelso Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Kelbaker Rd., jct. of Kelbaker and Cima Rds. at Union Pacific Railroad crossing","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kelso","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":null,"lon":null,"geom_source":null},"listed_date":"2025-06-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Transportation","Engineering","Industry","Education"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A railroad depot, restaurant and employees hotel with a coal and supply shed and a designed landscape, at Kelso in Mojave National Preserve, San Bernardino County, California. It was built in the 1920s by the Office of the Chief Engineer, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.","why_significant":"The depot is argued to be significant under Criterion A for providing lodging, food and services that let the Union Pacific run helper locomotives over Cima Hill, and for its role in World War II and Korean War traffic. Under Criterion C it is a rare surviving Mission Revival railroad hotel and restaurant, and the only California depot whose landscape keeps the original Union Pacific design intent.","narrative":"Kelso Depot is a two-story Mission Revival railroad station, restaurant and employees hotel in the Mojave Desert community of Kelso, now within Mojave National Preserve. Plans were issued in 1923 by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad's chief engineer's office. The stucco building has a tile roof, a buttressed arcade and espadaña parapets. The historic district also includes a coal and supply shed and a designed landscape of palms, brick walkways and roads. Kelso was effectively a company town, and the depot supplied lodging, meals and services for crews, including the helper locomotives that pushed trains over Cima Hill. It supported wartime movements in World War II and ore shipments during the Korean Conflict. Passenger service and the station agency ended in 1964, and the lunchroom closed in 1985. It is regarded as a rare surviving Mission Revival railroad hotel in California, with its landscape still reflecting the original design.","period_of_significance":"1923-1964","architect_builder":"Office of the Chief Engineer, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: California Mission Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the depot closed in 1964 and the lunchroom operated until 1985.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.808059-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/01000760.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860766","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/kelso-depot-restaurant-and-employees-hotel-boundary-increase-ii-100011934/"}