{"nrhp_refnum":"85000359","name":"Santa Clara Depot","other_names":["Southern Pacific Depot"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1 Railroad Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Santa Clara","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.35293438000008,"lon":-121.93610699199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-02-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story wood frame combination passenger and freight railroad depot at 1 Railroad Avenue, Santa Clara, California, built in 1863-64 for the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad and moved a short distance to its present site in 1877.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the oldest railroad station in continuous service in California and the only surviving station from the initial construction of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad. It is also one of the largest surviving wood frame depots in the state and one of few board-and-batten depots. The railroad it served shaped the area's farming, fruit canning, industry and education.","narrative":"Santa Clara's depot at 1 Railroad Avenue is a long, one-story wood frame railroad building combining a passenger end and a freight shed. Built in 1863-64 for the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, it has board-and-batten siding, broad overhanging eaves with knee braces and X-braces, and a louvered round attic vent. The passenger end measures 24 by 50 feet and is little changed from the original. In 1877 the depot was moved less than 100 feet to the west side of the tracks, given an operator's bay and extended with a freight shed. It is considered the oldest railroad station in continuous service in California and the only station left from the line's first construction. Its significance also rests on its role in local growth. The depot served as a shipping point for fruit canning and farming, and it linked the University of Santa Clara and the county to San Francisco and San Jose.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Chief Engineer, SF & SJ Railroad; contractors McLaughlin and Houston","architectural_style":"Wood frame board-and-batten depot with pedimented casings referencing Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in fair condition and altered; owned by the California Department of Transportation and in transportation use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.33157-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85000359.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000359/0568b6f674-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000359/0568b6f674-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Pi.1415926535","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southbound_Caltrain_train_arriving_at_Santa_Clara_station,_August_2025.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pi.1415926535</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southbound_Caltrain_train_arriving_at_Santa_Clara_station,_August_2025.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861782","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara_Transit_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7419334"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/santa-clara-depot-85000359/"}