{"nrhp_refnum":"90000459","name":"Santa Fe Railway Company Freight Depot","other_names":["Cbd-#30"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"214 S. Austin","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brenham","county":"Washington County","state":"TX","lat":30.16553736700007,"lon":-96.40019470099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick railroad freight depot with a one-story loading dock at 214 South Austin in Brenham, Washington County, Texas, built about 1925 along the original Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway tracks on the western edge of downtown.","why_significant":"The depot is argued to be significant under Criterion A in transportation for linking the Brenham area to broader markets for local goods. It is also significant under Criterion C as a functional, utilitarian railroad building with simple offices and spacious loading areas. It is one of only two remaining properties tied to the railroads in Brenham, and it is nearly identical to the competing Houston and Texas Central freight depot.","narrative":"Built around 1925 beside the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway tracks on the western edge of downtown Brenham, this freight depot is a two-part brick building. A two-story office section sits at the south end, with raised letters reading \"Santa Fe Freight Depot\" below the stone parapet. A one-story loading area extends north, with wooden freight doors on both sides: the west doors served rail cars on the spur, and the east doors served trucks. Brenham was a junction of the Santa Fe line and the Houston and Texas Central line, and the depot helped connect local producers to wider markets. Its plain design favored open loading and storage space over decoration, with a small office from which employees could oversee loading and handle paperwork. It closely resembles the competing Houston and Texas Central freight depot at 306 South Market, an unusual duplication in such a small area. Together they are the only remaining railroad properties in the city. The building is now vacant but in fair condition.","period_of_significance":"c.1925-41","architect_builder":"Griffen, Alex","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as vacant and privately owned, in fair condition, and retaining its architectural integrity despite a few alterations.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.187747-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/9706/40970691/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/90000459.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000459/1fa0c164be-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000459/1fa0c164be-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SantFeFreightDepot_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:SantFeFreightDepot_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000154","name":"Brenham Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/brenham-downtown-historic-district-04000154/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970691","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000830"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/washington-county/santa-fe-railway-company-freight-depot-90000459/"}