Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Whittier, Los Angeles County

Southern Pacific Railroad Depot

The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in Whittier consists of two basic units; a two-story central section built in 1888 and a long one-story extension that was added in 1895. The first agent, J.R. Downs and his sister, and most subsequent agents and their families, resided upstairs in the central section while the lower floor was used as a passenger waiting station. The 1895 extension expanded the freight storage area and provided fruit packing space for the Whittier Fruit Exchange. By 1970 the station was no longer needed by the railroad and it was leased to private commercial interests. The depot was relocated in 1990 to save it from demolition and moved again to its present location in 2000. It is the only remaining Southern Pacific Common Standard No. 18 depot in Southern California. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Whittier, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt