Southern Pacific Depot (Fresno, California)

The Southern Pacific Depot in Fresno, California is a former train station.

Fresno
The Depot as seen from Tulare Street, 2014
Location	1033 H Street Fresno, California
History
Opened	April 1872
Closed	April 1, 1971
Rebuilt	October 1889
Original company	Central Pacific Railroad
Services
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Madera toward Sacramento Sacramento Daylight Tulare toward Los Angeles Madera toward Oakland Pier San Joaquin Daylight
Southern Pacific Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Fresno Depot Fresno Depot
Coordinates	36°43′57″N 119°47′33″W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1889
Built by	Southern Pacific
Architectural style	Queen Anne style
NRHP reference No.	78000665[1]
Added to NRHP	March 21, 1978

History

The station was established in April 1872 by the Central Pacific Railroad.[2] The railroad built a simple wood frame depot on the site. By 1888 the station had come under the ownership of Southern Pacific (SP), who wished to expand the facility. The City of Fresno rejected initial plans for a new station building, forcing SP to redesign and submit a new blueprint in the Queen Anne style of architecture, one of two such stations in California.[3] The new Depot opened in October 1889 and consolidated much of the company's freight operations in the Valley. Expansions and remodels occurred in the 1900s: more freight space was added on the south side of the building some time between 1914 and 1929, office were built on the north side in 1930, and the waiting room was remodeled in 1945.[1] The Depot hosted named trains such as the Sacramento Daylight and San Joaquin Daylight. The station was closed on May 1, 1971 as Amtrak assumed most intercity rail operations in the United States and the Central Valley was left out of the initial system. Services were restarted to Fresno in 1974, but at the Santa Fe Passenger Depot on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line about ³⁄₄ mile (1.2 km) to the northeast.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1978.[1] It is additionally listed on the City of Fresno Local Register of Historic Resources.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "History of Fresno". City of Fresno. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
3. "Historical Perspective: Southern Pacific Railroad depot". Fresno Bee. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2020.