(rshsdepot) Mountain View CA - New Southern Pacific Depot

["Jim Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

From Altamont Press Newsline...

New Southern Pacific Depot

Construction began Jan28, on the first new Southern Pacific plan Number 18
depot building to be erected since the design was phased out over 100 years
ago. The historic replica is the final element of the intermodal transit
center in Mountain View CA, on the Caltrain regional rail line between San
Francisco and San Jose. Valley Transit Authority buses, light rail, industry
shuttles, and the Caltrain regional rail successor to Southern Pacific's
commute service converge at a key node of Silicon Valley commerce.

After years of debate over conceptual sketches, planning, and final
accumulation of funding from multiple government agencies, a "historically
accurate Southern Pacific Victorian depot building" was adopted as the
centerpiece of the plaza at the foot of Mountain View's central downtown
artery, Castro Street. The site is approximately 300 feet north of the
location of the original Number 18 depot, which fronted the Southern Pacific
tracks between 1888 and 1959.

Several erstwhile pseudo railroad designs were presented to the city, but
emphatic vocal community sentiment from city council, historical society,
and individual citizens for recreating the two story building led the
architecture committee to this design. Among the most apt comments as the
design was accepted was the observation that this building is ideally suited
to its function as a train station. -Francis Wong

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