FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE July 22, 2020
San Rafael Heritage has asked that the 1929 Northwestern Pacific Railroad Depot be
designated a local historic landmark by the City of San Rafael. The historic preservation
group filed a formal application with the City regarding the historic property at 930
Tamalpais Avenue on July 20. The Depot’s site and its current Mission Revival building
played a vital transportation role in the development of San Rafael and Marin County.
Heritage supporters feel that preserving this iconic building as a neighbor to SMART and
the city’s transit center will give citizens and visitors a sense of recognition, community,
pride, and identity.
San Rafael Heritage has been working to achieve local landmark status for the Depot
since 2015, conducting years of intensive historical research, study, writing, and
consulting with city officials and experts in the field of historic preservation. This effort
has been guided by State of California historic preservation criteria as well as San
Rafael’s Code of Ordinances.
The City maintains a list of previously-designated local landmark structures, but it has
been many years since new applications have been made. The current list of 16
structures can be found under “Historic Properties List” at
https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/historic-preservation/ . One of the listed properties is the
1883 Flatiron Building at 724 B Street, which is also related to San Rafael’s
transportation history, as it was used by Peter Donohue for his railroad workers.
Donahue had earlier constructed his “Union Station” at the Depot’s site. The railroads
that used the depot eventually merged in 1906 to become the Northwestern Pacific.
The building is owned by Whistlestop, which has operated it as a senior service center for
many years. It is hoped that by officially recognizing and preserving the 1929 Depot, the
building, which is still recognizable as a railroad depot, can eventually be re-purposed to
new uses that are an asset to the Station Area and economically beneficial to San Rafael’s
downtown. Many other depots in the Bay Area are valued in this way.
For further information about the Depot and about the goals of SR Heritage, visit
www.sanrafaelheritage.org .
Submitted by:
Cynthia Landecker
President Emerita
San Rafael Heritage
P.O. Box 150665
San Rafael, California 94915
designated a local historic landmark by the City of San Rafael. The historic preservation
group filed a formal application with the City regarding the historic property at 930
Tamalpais Avenue on July 20. The Depot’s site and its current Mission Revival building
played a vital transportation role in the development of San Rafael and Marin County.
Heritage supporters feel that preserving this iconic building as a neighbor to SMART and
the city’s transit center will give citizens and visitors a sense of recognition, community,
pride, and identity.
San Rafael Heritage has been working to achieve local landmark status for the Depot
since 2015, conducting years of intensive historical research, study, writing, and
consulting with city officials and experts in the field of historic preservation. This effort
has been guided by State of California historic preservation criteria as well as San
Rafael’s Code of Ordinances.
The City maintains a list of previously-designated local landmark structures, but it has
been many years since new applications have been made. The current list of 16
structures can be found under “Historic Properties List” at
https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/historic-preservation/ . One of the listed properties is the
1883 Flatiron Building at 724 B Street, which is also related to San Rafael’s
transportation history, as it was used by Peter Donohue for his railroad workers.
Donahue had earlier constructed his “Union Station” at the Depot’s site. The railroads
that used the depot eventually merged in 1906 to become the Northwestern Pacific.
The building is owned by Whistlestop, which has operated it as a senior service center for
many years. It is hoped that by officially recognizing and preserving the 1929 Depot, the
building, which is still recognizable as a railroad depot, can eventually be re-purposed to
new uses that are an asset to the Station Area and economically beneficial to San Rafael’s
downtown. Many other depots in the Bay Area are valued in this way.
For further information about the Depot and about the goals of SR Heritage, visit
www.sanrafaelheritage.org .
Submitted by:
Cynthia Landecker
President Emerita
San Rafael Heritage
P.O. Box 150665
San Rafael, California 94915