{"nrhp_refnum":"74000556","name":"Menlo Park Railroad Station","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1100 Merrill St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Menlo Park","county":"San Mateo County","state":"CA","lat":37.45440163200004,"lon":-122.18193853699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-10-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small wooden railroad station at 1100 Merrill Street in Menlo Park, San Mateo County, California, built in 1867 by the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is architecturally notable for combining picturesque cottage, Stick Style and Shingle Style elements added from the 1860s to the 1890s. It is also presented as one of the earliest surviving railway stations in California. It is tied to the growth of Menlo Park, its estates, Stanford University, and local transportation and communications.","narrative":"Built in 1867 by the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, this small wooden station at 1100 Merrill Street in Menlo Park opened for business that August. Its original form and roofline survive, and later decoration added in the 1880s and 1890s, including brackets, mouldings, gable ornament and shingled hoods, gives it Stick Style and Shingle Style character. The station is described as among the earliest surviving railway stations in California. The railroad brought rapid change: summer villas and country estates appeared, and Stanford University's opening in 1891 sent students, professors and workers through the depot. It housed the area's first telephone exchange in 1884, handled freight and produce shipments, and during World War I received a large covered shed for military baggage. At the time of nomination the building served as the Chamber of Commerce office, commuters still rode the line, and it was a junction for a new city bus system.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"San Francisco and San Jose Railroad (builder)","architectural_style":"Stick Style, with picturesque cottage and Shingle Style elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and slightly altered, on its original site. At the time of nomination the Chamber of Commerce used it as offices and a meeting room, and it no longer served as a ticket office.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.800363-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/74000556.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000556/e65e8b37c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000556/e65e8b37c6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Ron Reiring from Inland Empire of Southern California, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Menlo_Park_station_building,_January_2010.jpeg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ron Reiring from Inland Empire of Southern California, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Menlo_Park_station_building,_January_2010.jpeg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861530","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menlo_Park_station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683322"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-mateo-county/menlo-park-railroad-station-74000556/"}