Sebastopol Depot of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway
Also known as: West County Museum
Why it's listed
Built in 1917 and 1918 on South Main Street in Sebastopol, this small depot served the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, the only electric interurban line in Sonoma County. The single-story building combines Mission Revival and Craftsman features: a stuccoed exterior, an arched wrap-around veranda, stone pier bases of rhyolite from the Stony Point quarry, redwood wainscoting and terra cotta floor tiles. It replaced a smaller wooden depot that could no longer handle the passenger traffic. The depot acted as the hub of the railway until passenger service ended in 1932, and it also carried telegraphs, mail and packages to the town. Later it housed a flower shop before the City of Sebastopol and a local historical society restored the veranda and finishes in the early 1990s. It opened as the West County Museum in 1993. It is one of only a few reminders of the railway that kept its integrity of setting and design.
Significance in brief: The depot is argued to be significant under transportation as a rare surviving reminder of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, Sonoma County's only electric interurban line. It served as the hub of the railway and the only passenger depot in Sebastopol, and was also a communications link for telegraphs, mail and packages. Together with the powerhouse, it is one of the few remaining structures of the line that retains integrity of setting and design.
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 96000109, listed February 16, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 261 S. Main St., Sebastopol |
|---|---|
| County | Sonoma County |
| Listed | February 16, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000109 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1932 |
| Architect / builder | Jones, Brainerd - Architect; Vogensen, H.P. - Builder |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in the early 1990s to its original appearance; in use as the West County Museum, which opened in July 1993, and owned by the City of Sebastopol. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.40076, -122.82314 (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 96000109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q30588083
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.