Pacific Electric Railway Company Depot
Why it's listed
Built in 1911 on Imperial Highway in Yorba Linda, this wooden depot combined passenger and freight service under one roof when the Pacific Electric Railway extended its Whittier line into the area. The single-story building has horizontal siding, a bellcast hipped roof, and an open waiting area beneath a portico with Doric columns. A small gable covers a slanted bay window on the track side. Red cars made nine daily runs to Los Angeles until passenger service ended in January 1938, and freight continued until the rails were removed in 1951. The freight end was later altered into a nursery office, but original windows and doors remain elsewhere. The depot was listed as one of the few surviving examples of a railway system that once tied Southern California communities to Los Angeles. Similar depots stood at La Habra, Glendora, Covina and Watts. Proposed development and a possible move were concerns at the time of listing.
Significance in brief: The depot is described as one of the last surviving structures from the Pacific Electric Railway, the nation's largest suburban electric transportation system. It is an intact example of the combination depots the railroad built in smaller Los Angeles Basin communities. It served as a focal point for transportation and commerce in Yorba Linda and is one of the community's few remaining historic structures.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000517, listed October 25, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 18132 Imperial Hwy., Yorba Linda |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | October 25, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000517 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific date 1911) |
| Architect / builder | Pacific Electric Railway |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Part of the building has been modernized for use as a nursery office, and the nomination says it serves as commercial offices. Development pressure threatens it, and relocation has been proposed. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 33.89105, -117.81695 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000517.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q125925520
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.