{"nrhp_refnum":"75000488","name":"Sonoma Depot","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"284 1st St., W","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sonoma","county":"Sonoma County","state":"CA","lat":38.29617628300008,"lon":-122.45766670799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-04-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A frame railroad depot at 284 First Street West in Sonoma, California, built around 1875-76 for the narrow gauge Sonoma Valley Railroad and moved to its present site around 1890.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the depot is one of the oldest surviving railroad stations in California and a transitional example of Stick-style depot design. It symbolizes the first stage of industrial growth in rural California after railroads arrived in the 1870s. It also forms part of the historic setting near the Sonoma Plaza.","narrative":"Located at 284 First Street West, just north of the Sonoma Plaza, this frame railroad depot dates to about 1875-76 and was built to serve the narrow gauge Sonoma Valley Railroad. It was moved from the northwest corner of the Plaza to its present site around 1890, when local citizens pressed to get the railroad off the Plaza. The redwood building has a wooden shingle roof and was originally divided into an agent's office, a waiting room and a freight area. Heavy freight scales remain inside. Trains carried cattle and basalt cobblestones for San Francisco street paving, and passengers connected to San Francisco via Sausalito. The nomination calls it a transitional example of Stick-style depot design and one of the oldest surviving depots in California. It also notes the depot's close relationship to nearby historic sites, including the Mission, Vallejo's barracks and the Plaza. The railroad stopped using it as crew quarters, and the city planned restoration.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"Sonoma Valley Railroad (later taken over by the San Francisco and North Pacific) built depot","architectural_style":"Stick style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as presently vacant; the railroad stopped using it as crew quarters about four years before the nomination. Condition is rated fair, with the foundation, roof, freight platform and paint needing work. The City of Sonoma planned to refurbish it and develop a park around it.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.182748-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/75000488.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000488/5ae91273b7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000488/5ae91273b7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sonoma_Depot,_284_1st_St.,_W,_Sonoma,_CA_6-12-2010_4-26-15_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sonoma_Depot,_284_1st_St.,_W,_Sonoma,_CA_6-12-2010_4-26-15_PM.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"75000489","name":"Sonoma Plaza","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/sonoma-plaza-75000489/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862126","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma_Depot","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56481306"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sonoma-county/sonoma-depot-75000488/"}