Herndon Depot
Why it's listed
Built in 1857 as a stop on the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire railroad, Herndon Depot is a rectangular, one-story wooden station of board-and-batten construction on Elden Street. Its decoration is limited to Victorian-style buttresses under the eaves, and the window and door framings, semaphore, roofing and baggage doors are original. Inside, two waiting rooms once separated by a ticket master's room, formerly divided white and Black passengers. The station anchored a large dairying region, and by 1907 no point on its railway line was reported to ship more milk. It also brought some of the first commuters to Washington, 21 miles away. The town's first council meetings were held there after incorporation in 1879. Passenger service ended in the 1960s, and a restoration begun in 1970 by the Herndon Historical Society and the town was finished in 1974. Today it houses public works offices and serves as a symbol of the town.
Significance in brief: The depot was the center of a large dairying area and a shipping point for milk to Washington. It also served some of the earliest commuters to the capital. The railroad linked the town's economy and population to the larger Washington area, and the depot remains a simple example of a small-town railroad station.
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 79003039, listed June 18, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Elden St., Herndon |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | June 18, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003039 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular building tradition with Gothic Revival elements in board and batten siding (per reviewer notes); Victorian style buttresses under the eaves |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored by 1974 and in excellent condition; used as offices for the town's Public Works Department, within the Herndon Town Square complex. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Within district | Herndon Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.96995, -77.38578 (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 79003039.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5742294
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.