Harvey House Railroad Depot
Also known as: Casa Del Desierto
Why it's listed
Casa del Desierto, the Harvey House Railroad Depot in Barstow, California, is a railroad depot, hotel and restaurant complex built between 1910 and 1913 for the Santa Fe Railroad. It replaced an earlier wooden Harvey House that burned in 1908. Its walls are red cinder stone, its heavy archways are keyed into place, and its roof appears to be Spanish tile. The design reflects the Santa Fe style, combining Spanish-Indian forms with Moorish towers and archways, and credit for the styling and interiors goes to architect Mary E. J. Coulter. Local residents handled the grading and foundations, and Barstow craftsmen made the copper chandeliers and interior cabinetry. The building matters as a surviving example of the Harvey House system, which brought dependable meals and service to rail travelers through the Harvey Girls. It was listed in 1975 as one of the last surviving Harvey Houses, at a time when expansion of Santa Fe rail yards threatened it with demolition.
Significance in brief: It is presented as an excellent example of the Santa Fe-style Harvey House, blending Spanish-Indian and Moorish elements, with design credit given to Mary E. J. Coulter. It is tied to Fred Harvey's railroad dining and hotel system and to the railroad history of the Southwest. It is described as one of the last surviving Harvey Houses and survived remarkably intact.
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 75000458, listed April 3, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Santa Fe Depot, Barstow |
|---|---|
| County | San Bernardino County |
| Listed | April 3, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000458 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century; built in 1911 (construction dated 1910-1913 in the narrative) |
| Architect / builder | Mary E. J. Coulter (credited for architectural styling and interior treatment); local grading and foundation work by Walter Alf and Seymour Alf |
| Architectural style | Santa Fe style, blending Spanish-Indian architecture with Moorish elements |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Form describes it as in excellent condition, unaltered and on its original site, but threatened with demolition for Santa Fe rail yard expansion. A 1979 newspaper editorial in the file says it stands vacant. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 34.90479, -117.02474 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 75000458.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2474214
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.