{"nrhp_refnum":"84001191","name":"Southern Pacific Depot","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"559 El Camino Real","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Carlos","county":"San Mateo County","state":"CA","lat":37.50737501100008,"lon":-122.25999448699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-09-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story sandstone railroad depot at 559 El Camino Real in San Carlos, San Mateo County, California, built in 1888 in the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its role in the early development of San Carlos as a commuter suburb, where the depot served as a catalyst for growth. It also cites the quality of its architecture and the rarity of Richardsonian Romanesque design for California railroad buildings. It is the only depot on the Peninsula built of stone masonry or in this style.","narrative":"Built in 1888, this sandstone railroad depot on El Camino Real in San Carlos is a one-story building made up of separate depot and baggage rooms joined by a covered breezeway. Large random ashlar blocks, a multi-hipped slate roof, broad eaves on lathe-turned braces, and a round conical-roofed tower that once held the ticket office define its look. Semicircular arched windows dominate the track side. Alterations are minor, including removal of a porte cochere in the 1920s and enclosure of the entrance porch after the 1906 earthquake. It was listed for its architecture and its part in the town's growth. Developers of the San Carlos townsite advertised the depot to attract commuters, and for years it was the town's only public building, serving as church, library and post office. Train service ran until 1967. It is the only stone depot on the Peninsula and a rare California example of this style.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied. A restaurant opened in early 1984 in the main waiting room and former station agent spaces, the baggage room is vacant, and the building remains a commuter rail stop without a ticket agency or waiting room.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.877188-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/84001191.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001191/3c6d660d92-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001191/3c6d660d92-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pi.1415926535","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northbound_train_at_San_Carlos_station,_November_2018.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pi.1415926535</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:Northbound_train_at_San_Carlos_station,_November_2018.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861566","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Carlos_station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7413505"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-mateo-county/southern-pacific-depot-84001191/"}