HISTORIC WOODLAND RAILROAD DEPOT

Transcription

1 HISTORIC WOODLAND RAILROAD DEPOT Woodland Railroad Depot, glass plate, ca 1920 s Source: California State Railroad Museum Back to the Past One Step into the Future Phase IV: REMOVAL OF GRANARY FOUNDATION AND EXPANSION OF MUSEUM SACRAMENTO VALLEY HISTORICAL RAILWAYS 1120 Lincoln Avenue, Woodland, California

2 Historic Woodland Railroad Depot INTRODUCTION The Sacramento Valley Historical Railways (SVHR), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, purchased the depot in 1988 and in 1992 relocated it approximately 200 feet west of its original location. The relocation of the depot prevented its imminent demolition. Subsequently, through various public and private grants, donations by the local community, and the labor of volunteers, SVHR has embarked upon a multi-phase restoration of this historic building to a target circa 1920 s appearance. MISSION STATEMENT Sacramento Valley Historical Railways is a fellowship of volunteers who are dedicated to community service and education through the preservation and operation of historic railroad equipment and structures in the Sacramento Valley. RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC WOODLAND RAILROAD DEPOT The Historic Woodland Railroad Depot has been an integral part of Woodland s history since its construction by the Southern Pacific Railroad in The depot is a historic community resource listed on the City of Woodland Historical Resources Inventory, the state Historic Resources Inventory, the National Park Service Historic American Building Survey, and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Stroll through History, 2009 Karen Van Hoosear photo

3 RESTORATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS Since 1992, Sacramento Valley Historical Railways has followed a phased plan to restore the historic depot and surrounding grounds. Each phase was first carefully researched to assure historic accuracy and the restoration performed with meticulous attention to detail. Phase I. Protect and Stabilize Historic Depot 1992 : Purchase and move depot to present site 1995: Remove old roof and install new cedar shake roof; professionally paint depot exterior with historically accurate two tone application 2002: South wall of depot restored, including removal of historically inaccurate restroom facilities and weather damaged siding Phase II. Depot Restoration, One Room at a Time : Freight/baggage room restored to as-built configuration, including reconstruction of horse and wagon era freight platform, replication of multi pane windows and repairs to freight doors : Restoration of Dispatcher/Agent Offices, including major repairs to walls, repairs to all double hung windows and both entry doors due to vandalism, return and restoration of the two original 12 foot counters : Begin major restoration of men s and women s restrooms including repair of ceilings, repairs to all single hung windows, purchase circa appliances : Ongoing restoration of the main waiting room including ceiling and wall repairs, ticket window and double windows restored to appropriate era, interior painting of walls, ceiling and wainscoting to original as-built color 2011: Begin restoration of women s waiting room, including eventual replacement of 1950 era double door entry with double hung windows Phase III. Consolidation of Historic Railroad Collection 2008: Move steam locomotive 1233, center cab 50, and SP caboose to display track along west side of depot : Move SP Section Tool House (Speeder Shed) from railroad right of way to depot property stabilize with foundation and floor repair and begin restoration

4 Phase IV. Remove Granary Foundation and Museum Expansion; Install Water and Sewer Lines to Complete Restroom Restoration Excavate old grain bins located along 6 th Street and stabilize area Install historic railroad and Woodland related displays, landscaping, and visually pleasing fencing around perimeter of property Install water and sewer lines to complete the restroom project, (application pending for City Redevelopment funds) Phase V. Opening the Depot and Grounds to the Public Install fire protection system, HAVCV, mechanical systems as required Perform modifications as necessary for ADA compliance Perform modifications to comply with City of Woodland permitting process. Looking northwest, John McMahan photo Looking northwest, Mike Adams photo Looking northeast, John McMahan photo Looking northeast, Mike Adams photo Agent office John McMahan photo Agent office Karen Van Hoosear photo

5 HISTORY OF THE HISTORIC WOODLAND RAILROAD DEPOT The California Pacific Railroad, a predecessor of the Southern Pacific Railroad, built the first railroad depot in Woodland located between Main Street and Oak Street. It was a two story, box shaped structure, with living apartments on the second floor for the station agent. It had a large freight house, but a small waiting room for passengers. Realizing that such a structure was unsuitable for the growing city of Woodland, the Chamber of Commerce, on February 2, 1910, sent three of its members to San Francisco to talk to Southern Pacific officials about a new depot. When they returned to Woodland on the midnight train, they were able to report that a new passenger depot would be built, but they had no firm date as to when that event would occur. Rumors on the status of the new depot persisted until February 10, 1911, when Division Superintendent Sheridan arrived in Woodland on a special train. He informed station agent Fingland that General Manager s Order No. 2 had been issued authorizing the construction of the new depot. The recent news that the Northern Electric Railway was building a rail line into Woodland with a new depot at Second and Main Streets probably hastened this decision. After some controversy, the City of Woodland allowed the Southern Pacific Railroad to locate its new depot south of the old depot straddling Lincoln Avenue. This forced the closure of Lincoln Avenue to East Street but allowed long trains to stop in front of the new depot without having to uncouple at Main and Oak Streets for roadway traffic. Construction of the new Woodland Depot began and was completed in The original blueprints, dated February, 1910, were revised on Depot, looking northwest, from glass plate, ca 1920 s California State Railroad Museum collection February 13, An additional blueprint for the cement work for the waiting rooms and restrooms is dated April 21, A Sanborn Insurance map dated January, 1912, shows the completed new depot and the relocation of the old depot south of Lincoln Avenue and east of Sixth Street. The old depot was then designated as a freight only facility. Constructed mostly of prime redwood and Douglas fir, the new depot was equipped with every modern accommodation for it's time. It was a standard Southern Pacific colonnade style design with Colonial Revival and Craftsman elements. The 156 foot long arcade platform on the east side was constructed to protect the passengers from the weather and was 40 feet longer than the old depot to take care of longer trains. It had a baggage room, station agent s office, restrooms, and separate waiting rooms

6 for men and women. The women s waiting room provided a private room for unaccompanied women travelers and a place where mothers could nurse their children. During the early years of its operation, this depot was heavily patronized and was a stop for many scheduled trains on the West Valley Line. Historic photos regularly show large crowds in front of the depot. The depot was also witness to several historic events. For instance, on May 20, 1942, 418 Yolo County residents of Japanese ancestry were required to board a train to the Merced relocation center and were then sent on to Depot, ca Fred L. Delevati and Pete Zuniga collection internment camps for the remainder of World War II. Famed Depression era photographer, Dorothea Lange, captured this emotional moment in a series of black and white photographs. The photos also show many of the architectural elements of the depot at that time. In the early 1950s, passenger service to Woodland declined and was eventually suspended. In 1955, the Greyhound Bus Company leased the two waiting rooms. They installed a ticket counter on the south wall and it is believed that they removed the wall between the two waiting rooms and put double doors on the north and west Japanese leaving depot for internment, Dorthea Lange photograph, Bancroft Library walls at this time. A Greyhound Bus sign was put on the north side of the roof. There were other changes, too. In 1956, the depot was painted an attractive shade of seafoam green replacing its original colonial yellow paint scheme that was no longer popular with local residents. The next year, freight operations were moved from the old freight depot to the baggage room of the passenger depot. A door was installed between the agent s office and the baggage room, and the trunk platform was removed from the west wall of the baggage room. The sliding door above the trunk platform was raised to accommodate a truck loading dock that was installed in the western two thirds of the baggage room and extended through the doorway. The screen partitions were also removed from the public counter in the office. Later, a restroom for train crews was constructed in the southeast corner of the baggage room with an exterior door on the south wall. The only railroad employee remaining at the depot was the local freight agent.

7 By the 1980 s, the depot had fallen into disrepair and had not had a passenger train stop there for many years. On April 24, 1982, the last regularly scheduled passenger train through Woodland, Amtrak s train #11, the Coast Starlight, rolled past the depot without stopping. The final blow came in 1988, when Southern Pacific announced plans to raze the depot. Having just installed a new computer system, Southern Pacific decided to transfer the station agent to Sacramento, where he could do all of the Woodland work by telephone and computer. With that announcement, a group of local preservationists and rail fans went before the Woodland City Council. They were encouraged to try and save the depot, but cautioned that no local taxpayers money could be expected. A "Woodland S.P. Depot Committee" was then formed which consisted of representatives of the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways, the Yolo County Historical Society, the City of Woodland, and members of the general public. The Sacramento Valley Historical Railways, a local group that was restoring Southern Pacific steam locomotive #1233 at the Yolo County Fair Grounds, agreed to coordinate the preservation movement. The committee approached the Southern Pacific Company and secured an agreement to have the depot donated to the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways with the provision that it be moved away from the railroad's main line. The railroad also agreed to sell its property located about 200 feet southwest of the depot to the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways so that the depot could be relocated there. The committee applied for a Community Development Block Grant and raised matching funds to purchase this property. In 1990, the grant was approved, and the property was purchased from Southern Pacific in At the same time, the owner of the property adjacent to the new depot site at Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue donated it to the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways. A grain storage building that stood on this property was dismantled. This provided additional future space to display locomotive #1233 and other full sized railroad equipment owned by the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways. After many unexpected delays, the depot was moved during the summer of 1992 and set on its new foundation. The cost of the move was paid by a private citizen and many Woodland businesses made donations of material and labor for the foundation. A chain link fence was erected around the depot so that the repair and restoration could begin. Since the depot was moved, volunteers from the Sacramento Valley Historical Railways have spent thousands of hours restoring it to what it looked like in the early 1920 s.