Historically Speaking
Historically Speaking
Gilroy ’ s Historic Depot at Age 99
Written By Elizabeth Barrett
“ The decision will be hailed with joy by our citizens as marking a new era in the city ’ s history .”
January 20 , 1917 Gilroy Advocate
In 1917 , Southern Pacific officials decided to renovate the town ’ s original train station and move it to a fresh locale . The dilapidated structure had been serving travelers for 50 years . The unsanitary restrooms needed replacement , and the waiting areas were considered insufficient for the number of daily travelers passing through . A large , covered outdoor waiting area was needed . In short , the place was outdated .
The original depot , completed in 1870 , was the same age as Gilroy . The station had served as a transportation hub for passengers as well as a loading and shipping point for growers and merchants . Regular shipments of agricultural produce , livestock and grain were loaded at the station , ready for northor south-bound delivery to markets across the country .
After railroad officials announced plans to only refurbish , and not replace , the old structure , civic leaders and the Chamber of Commerce called for a completely new , modern depot . Their complaint was taken up by locals and carried to the California State Railroad Commissioner . At the hearing , Southern Pacific officials claimed the company lacked the finances to build a new depot . However , citizens who argued in favor of a modern facility prevailed and the company was ordered to proceed . The old station was ordered torn down and preparations for its replacement , estimated to cost around $ 10,000 , were soon underway .
The new depot site was to moved slightly west and several feet south of the original location . The shift would allow room for new double tracks , enabling a faster trip to San Jose , and provide more ample space for the fashionable Del Monte Express , which carried train passengers between San Francisco and Pacific Grove .
Gilroy now would have “ as fine a depot as any interior town in the state ,” declared the May 20 , 1917 Gilroy Advocate . The new design would be an elaborate , one-story building in the neo-Italian Renaissance style , planned to resemble the Redwood City station . Besides new , modern restrooms , an additional outdoor arcade-type waiting area was designed to offer better protection against the weather . Luggage and freight handling would be from an outside platform and a new baggage room was planned for the north side of the structure . A modern ticket office was be located at the south end of the waiting room . Central steam heat would provide comfort to passengers during cold months .
Dignitaries and citizens who had campaigned for the new depot were thrilled to attend the formal opening of Gilroy ’ s new Southern Pacific Depot on April 30 , 1918 . The public was impressed with the larger inside space and the outdoor waiting and loading areas . Reporting on the grand opening , the Advocate ’ s editor praised new depot , noting it was “ the most artistic railroad on the coast between Santa Barbara and San Francisco .”
The interior design included an oak floor , high ceilings , up-to-date restrooms finished in tile and marble , a telegraph operator ’ s desk , a new hand semaphore system , and a pay telephone . The exterior façade was in cement plaster over a redwood framework , topped by a red tile roof . An electric sign
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JULY / AUGUST 2017 gmhtoday . com