Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel (Boundary Increase II)
No boundary or coordinates published for this district.
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it.
Why it's listed
Kelso Depot is a two-story Mission Revival railroad station, restaurant and employees hotel in the Mojave Desert community of Kelso, now within Mojave National Preserve. Plans were issued in 1923 by the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad's chief engineer's office. The stucco building has a tile roof, a buttressed arcade and espadaña parapets. The historic district also includes a coal and supply shed and a designed landscape of palms, brick walkways and roads. Kelso was effectively a company town, and the depot supplied lodging, meals and services for crews, including the helper locomotives that pushed trains over Cima Hill. It supported wartime movements in World War II and ore shipments during the Korean Conflict. Passenger service and the station agency ended in 1964, and the lunchroom closed in 1985. It is regarded as a rare surviving Mission Revival railroad hotel in California, with its landscape still reflecting the original 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) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1923-1964 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: California Mission Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Transportation, Engineering, Industry, Education |
| Acreage | 13 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel (Boundary Increase II) (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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.