New depot a nod to 1888 New depot a nod to 1888 (November 001, 2002)

By Candice Shih

When the city of Mountain View turns 100 on Thursday, one of its most recognizable landmarks will celebrate a strange 114th birthday.

The new train depot located at Centennial Plaza, where the Centennial celebration will take place next week, is actually a replica of the depot that was built there in 1888.

Train service between San Francisco and San Jose began in 1864 when towns in between, including Mountain View, were thinly populated. That year, only two northbound trains and two southbound trains stopped in Mountain View on weekdays. Two years later, three trains were running in each direction.

By 1888, the city had built a $4,000 two-story depot which served mainly as a ticket booth. But it was not to last.

In 1959, Southern Pacific Railroad, which operated this first rail line to extend east from San Francisco, asked the city to tear down the 71-year-old depot. Commuters had begun purchasing their tickets by mail, thereby decreasing the need for a ticket agent at the Mountain View station.

Reactions by city officials were one-sided. On May 27, 1959, the Mountain View Register Leader reported: "Councilmen appeared to be generally in favor of getting rid of the old station, branded as an eyesore by several local organizations."

The Palo Alto Times concurred. On May 26, 1959, it stated, "All (councilmen) agreed removal of the present structure, at least 50 years old, would be a boon to the community."

Southern Pacific favored a "lanai-type" building with a three-sided passenger shelter to replace the aged depot. But that drew criticism, too.

Vic Calvo, a Mountain View planning commissioner, said the new building "looks more like a dugout that belongs in Seals Stadium," according to the Oct. 15, 1959 issue of the Palo Alto Times.

Eventually, the "dugout" met its demise along with the original depot.

Last year, the city council decided to bring back the 19th century station. "The look of the former station is what the council wanted," said Fred Fallah, senior project manager.

The current building is, however, decidedly modernized. The 3,700 square foot facility will serve as a passenger waiting area and has room for bike storage and an ATM. Unlike its predecessor, the station is handicapped-accessible.

The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which operates the Light Rail and buses, will have an office and rest area for its drivers in the new station. Unfortunately, VTA employees are the only people who will have restroom access _ at least until the council decides what to do with an undesignated space in the building which does have its own restrooms.

The second story is used only for mechanical equipment.

Construction of the train depot, which cost $2.9 million, began in February and is scheduled to be finished by Monday, said Fallah.

As Vic Calvo said in 1959, "people who do a lot of traveling by train remember a city only by its train station. That's all they see."
E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com