National Register of Historic Places

Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot

Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
Listed
April 17, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96000425

About this property

Palo Alto station (also called Palo Alto Transit Center) is an intermodal transit center in Palo Alto, California. It is served by Caltrain regional rail service, SamTrans and Santa Clara VTA local bus service, Dumbarton Express regional bus service, the Stanford University Marguerite Shuttle, and several local shuttle services. Palo Alto is the second-busiest Caltrain station after San Francisco, averaging 7,764 weekday boardings by a 2018 count. The Caltrain station has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Peninsula Subdivision and a nearby bus transfer plaza. The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad was built through then-empty land north of Mayfield in 1863. The first Palo Alto station was opened in 1890 to serve the then-newly established Stanford University. It was replaced by a larger depot in 1896. The Southern Pacific Railroad opened a new station in 1941 as part of a grade separation project. Designed by John H. Christie, it was constructed in the Streamline Moderne style to match the railroad's Daylight series of streamlined passenger trains. Intercity service to Palo Alto ended in 1971; the Peninsula Commute service continued and was renamed Caltrain in 1985. The station building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in 1996.

Location

95 University Ave.
Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
37.44347, -122.16567

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot listed on the National Register?

Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot?

Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot?

The period of significance for Palo Alto Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is recorded as the industrial era.

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