{"nrhp_refnum":"96000424","name":"Station and General Office, California Southern Railroad","other_names":["California Southern Railroad Station","National City Santa Fe"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"900 W. 23rd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"National City","county":"San Diego County","state":"CA","lat":32.66013466900006,"lon":-117.11155477499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-04-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Italianate wood building at 900 W. 23rd Street in National City, San Diego County, California, built in 1882 as a combined passenger station, freight depot and general office for the California Southern Railroad (Santa Fe).","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant for its role in transportation history, as the surviving part of the Santa Fe's West Coast operations and headquarters in National City from 1882 to 1889. It also qualifies as a surviving example of Italianate railroad architecture, retaining original exterior and interior elements despite alterations.","narrative":"Built in 1882 at 900 West 23rd Street in National City, this two-story wood building measures sixty-four by thirty-six feet and served as passenger station, freight depot and headquarters for the California Southern Railroad, part of the Santa Fe system on the West Coast. Its Italianate character shows in a low, flat-topped hip roof with wide eaves and brackets, tall narrow windows, double doors and a molded string course. The surrounding rail yards, shops, roundhouses and creosoting works have vanished, leaving the station and a stretch of track beside its west side. The building was later converted to a restaurant in the 1970s and to offices in the 1990s, bringing new partitions, paneling and a few added structures nearby. Even so, the original brick safe, stairway, fireplace and many exterior details survive. The property is recognized for its role in railroad transportation between 1882 and 1889 and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1882 - 1889","architect_builder":"Contractor: Stratton, W.A.; S.F.R.R.","architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function listed as vacant; formerly used as a restaurant in the 1970s and as offices in the 1990s.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.554074-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/96000424.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000424/d5af1bfa89-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000424/d5af1bfa89-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Edward Gohlich, photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_City_Depot_(National_City,_CA).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Edward Gohlich, photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:National_City_Depot_(National_City,_CA).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860993","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_City_station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6133853"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-diego-county/station-and-general-office-california-southern-railroad-96000424/"}