Redlands Santa Fe Depot District

Downtown Redlands' old depot area is a district of brick storefronts, citrus packing houses, warehouses and a railroad station, built between 1888 and 1941. It grew out of the first downtown laid out by the Chicago Colony in 1886, and an 1888 city ordinance required that new downtown buildings be brick. Brick, segmental arch openings and corbeled parapets tie together retail and industrial buildings alike. Landmarks include the 1909 Classical Revival Santa Fe station with its long Doric colonnade, the 1912 Board of Trade building, the 1923 Packard sales office and several packing houses. Alleys behind Orange Street still show the industrial side of the area. The district survived largely intact because commercial activity shifted south to State Street. It was listed for its local significance in architecture, commerce, industry and transportation, as a record of the community's growth through 1941.