A special groundbreaking event celebrating the start of the rehabilitation work on the Historic Santa Fe Depot has been scheduled to take place this coming Thursday, Feb.9, at 10 a.m. The event will take place at the Historic Santa Fe Depot site at Station Square.
This building is actually the third depot at the location. As per the city’s application notes, the “present depot building, designed by noted railway architect William H. Mohr and constructed by Sumner-Sollett Company, was completed in 1926. Mohr’s previous work included stations in Oakland (1910), San Bernardino (1918), and Phoenix, Ariz. (1923). Mohr’s final documented Southern California Santa Fe station is the Claremont Depot dedicated in November 1927.”
The depot was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with neoclassical details. It is classified as a combination depot with both passenger and freight functions in one station. The east end of the station has interior and exterior waiting areas, with the baggage and freight room on the west end leading to a large open platform.
The historic status is based on the building meeting four of the criteria for designation: it is significant to the history of the community, as it was designed by a renowned Santa Fe architect – William A. Monrovia. It is an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and is an important part of the community.
