Santa Fe Depot (San Bernardino)

San Bernardino

The street side of San Bernardino station
Station statistics
Address 1170 West Third Street
San Bernardino, California 92410
Lines

Amtrak:

Metrolink:

Platforms 1 side platform (Amtrak)
3 island platforms (Metrolink)
Tracks 1 (Amtrak)
6 (Metrolink)
Other information
Opened July 15, 1918
Rebuilt 2004
Code SNB
Owned by San Bernardino Associated Governments
Traffic
Passengers (2011) 10,552[1]  4.7% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Southwest Chief
toward Chicago
Metrolink
toward Oceanside
IEOC Line Terminus
San Bernardino Line
    Former services    
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Main Line
Cajon
Major stations
Major stations
Colton
Main Line
Cajon
Major stations
Major stations
Terminus Redlands Loop
Redlands
Terminus
Arrowhead
toward Redlands
Colton
toward San Jacinto
San Jacinto Branch Terminus
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot
Trackside of the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot.
Location: San Bernardino, California
Built: 1918
Architect: Mohr, W.A.; Cresmer, Manufacturing Co.
Architectural style: Mission/Spanish Revival
Governing body: Local
NRHP Reference#:

01000025

[2]
Added to NRHP: February 02, 2001

The Santa Fe Depot is a Mission Revival Style passenger rail terminal in San Bernardino, California, United States. It currently serves one Amtrak and three Metrolink lines. The depot is a historical landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot.[3]

Contents

History and renovation

Through its subsidiary California Southern Railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) first built a two-and-a-half-story wooden structure on the site in 1886 to replace a converted boxcar that had been used as a temporary station.[4] The 1886 building was mostly destroyed in a fire on November 16, 1916.[5]

Local politicians requested ATSF to build a new station on a much larger scale than the previous. The new station, designed by architect W.A. Mohr, cost $800,000 ($11,551,475 adjusted for 2005) to build and was officially opened on July 15, 1918. At that time, it was the largest railway station west of the Mississippi River. The San Bernardino Sun wrote "Santa Fe's Station to be the finest in the west." A few years after the depot's opening, an extension was added that included a Harvey House and living quarters.[5]

The station saw heavy use throughout the 20th century. But like with many railroad stations, there was a gradual decline in usage with the advent of automobiles, buses and air travel. The Harvey House closed in the 1950s. In 1972, ATSF transferred its passenger service to Amtrak. Metrolink began service to the station in the early 1990s.[6]

In 1992, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) purchased the historic depot from Santa Fe. While Amtrak and Metrolink stopped using the depot in favor for a much smaller newer structure on the west side of the older one, SANBAG acquired over $15 million from federal and local grants and funds to begin an extensive restoration of the historic depot beginning in 2002. In 2004, SANBAG and Metrolink moved some of their offices there. After renovations are complete, SANBAG will share ownership with the City of San Bernardino and both agencies intend on leasing space in it.[7] The historic depot waiting area, along with a new snack shop, opened again for Amtrak and Metrolink passengers on May 2, 2008.[8] Greyhound Lines also planned on moving passenger operations to the depot at some point in 2009,[9] although as of 2012 that has not occurred.

Depot architecture and design

The historic depot is built in the Spanish Mission Revival Style with some Moorish influence. Utilizing hollow clay blocks, a red tile roof and stucco exterior, the depot was designed to withstand fire. Four domed towers are built around a large center lobby with polished tile walls and floor. The interior includes handcrafted high beams, coffered ceilings and decorative column capitals.[5]

Services

The San Bernardino station serves as the eastern terminus for most Metrolink San Bernardino Line trains which originate from Los Angeles' Union Station and the northern terminus for some Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains. Some San Bernardino Line trains continue southwestward towards Riverside on weekends.

San Bernardino is considered a 91 Line station, but no actual 91 Line (700-series) trains stop there. It is listed because the combination of the Orange County and IE-OC lines is listed on the 91-line timetable. When one transfers between the two in Orange, the effect is the same as riding the 91 Line.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief, which travels between Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois, stops once a day in each direction here.

There are no ticket offices at the station, though tickets for both Amtrak and Metrolink can be picked up at Metrolink's ticket vending machines. Amtrak tickets must be reserved either via telephone or internet before being picked up.

References

  1. ^ "San Bernardino, CA (SNB)". Great American Stations. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/SNB. Retrieved 18 November 2011. 
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  3. ^ "California - San Bernardino County". National Register of Historic Places.COM, a private website mirroring public domain data from the U.S. National Register. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CA/San+Bernardino/state.html. 
  4. ^ Serpico, Philip C. (1988). Santa Fé Route to the Pacific. Palmdale, California: Omni Publications. p. 20. ISBN 0-88418-000-X. 
  5. ^ a b c "A Brief History of the Santa Fe Depot". San Bernardino Associated Governments. http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/about/santa-fe_depot.html. 
  6. ^ "SANBAG Property Acquisition, Depot Restoration Funding". San Bernardino Associated Governments. http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/about/santa-fe_depot.html. 
  7. ^ "Restoration Details". San Bernardino Associated Governments. http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/about/santa-fe_depot.html. 
  8. ^ Chris Richard (March 4, 2008). "San Bernardino depot is open for rail travelers, thanks to historical society volunteers". The Press-Enterprise. http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_R_bhosts05.4260cea.html. 
  9. ^ Karen Gaudette and K. Franke Santos (July 13, 2003). "Polishing a Jewel of a Depot". The Press-Enterprise. http://www.harveyhouses.net/clips/sanberdoo1.htm. 

External links