Berkeley Station
Encyclopedia
Berkeley Station was the name of the principal railroad station in Berkeley, California
from 1878 to 1911. It was located in what is now downtown Berkeley, on Shattuck Avenue between University Avenue and Center Street. The tract is today occupied by Shattuck Square and Berkeley Square. The name continued in use after 1911 although the station was no longer the main rail depot for Berkeley.
Berkeley Station began as the "Berkeley Terminus" of the Central Pacific Railroad
's Berkeley Branch Railroad
, established in 1876, two years before Berkeley was incorporated. In 1878, the railroad was extended northward several blocks, so the "terminus" was re-named Berkeley Station. In 1885, the Central Pacific's operation of the Berkeley Branch was turned over to its affiliate, the Southern Pacific. In 1911, the Berkeley line was electrified and became part of the East Bay Electric Lines
.
From 1876 to about 1892, Berkeley Station included a small wooden depot located close to Center and Shattuck. About 1892, the first depot was replaced by a slightly larger wood depot. In 1906, construction began on a much larger brick and stone depot designed by the SP's architect Daniel J. Patterson
which opened in 1908. This new depot consisted of two main buildings linked by a small enclosed courtyard. The north building was used as a baggage facility while the south building included the ticket office and waiting room. The original design which included a fountain was scaled back somewhat due to the costs incurred by the railroad as a result of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Although it was never disclosed formally by the railroad, the local newspapers reported that the new depot was part of a larger plan to re-route all mainline passenger trains through downtown Berkeley while extending the Berkeley Branch tracks northward from Berkeley along or through the Berkeley Hills where they would re-join the existing mainline. This possibility was not welcomed by the community.
In 1911, at the urging of the community backed up by a ruling by the California State Railroad Commission, the Southern Pacific replaced its small wooden depot at Delaware Street in West Berkeley
which, although it lay along the existing mainline, was too small, and most mainline trains did not observe it as a scheduled stop. The new West Berkeley Station was constructed one block south of the Delaware depot at Third and University, and was as large as Berkeley Station. The Southern Pacific scheduled it as a regular stop for its mainline trains, and thus, Berkeley Station lost its primacy. It continued as a regular railroad depot, but was incorporated into the Southern Pacific's electric commuter system, the East Bay Electric Lines. When the opening of the rail line on the new San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was imminent in the late 1930s, the Southern Pacific successfully petitioned the Railroad Commission to close and demolish the depot at Berkeley Station, arguing that since the downtown trains would no longer connect with the mainline at the 16th Street Station (the bridge line bypassed it), such a large station was unnecessary. The depot was demolished in August 1938, its function replaced by a small ticket office in a commercial building which rose in its place.
In 1972, the name "Berkeley Station" was revived as the name of the BART stop in downtown Berkeley, but was changed to "Downtown Berkeley
" in the 1990s.
The Amtrak
stop adjacent to the old West Berkeley depot at Third and University is currently called "Berkeley Station". The depot itself survives as the new location (since 2008) of Brennan's Restaurant, itself one of the oldest surviving firms in Berkeley. From the early 1970s through the early 2000s, the China Station Restaurant had used the depot, having converted it after the Southern Pacific discontinued its railroad use.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
from 1878 to 1911. It was located in what is now downtown Berkeley, on Shattuck Avenue between University Avenue and Center Street. The tract is today occupied by Shattuck Square and Berkeley Square. The name continued in use after 1911 although the station was no longer the main rail depot for Berkeley.
Berkeley Station began as the "Berkeley Terminus" of the Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
's Berkeley Branch Railroad
Berkeley Branch Railroad
The Berkeley Branch Railroad was a long branch line of the Central Pacific Railroad from a junction in what later became Emeryville called "Shellmound" to what soon became downtown Berkeley, adjacent to the new University of California campus. The line opened on August 16, 1876. The initial...
, established in 1876, two years before Berkeley was incorporated. In 1878, the railroad was extended northward several blocks, so the "terminus" was re-named Berkeley Station. In 1885, the Central Pacific's operation of the Berkeley Branch was turned over to its affiliate, the Southern Pacific. In 1911, the Berkeley line was electrified and became part of the East Bay Electric Lines
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
.
From 1876 to about 1892, Berkeley Station included a small wooden depot located close to Center and Shattuck. About 1892, the first depot was replaced by a slightly larger wood depot. In 1906, construction began on a much larger brick and stone depot designed by the SP's architect Daniel J. Patterson
Daniel J. Patterson
Daniel James Patterson was an American architect around the turn of the 20th century. Much of his work was done for the Southern Pacific Railroad....
which opened in 1908. This new depot consisted of two main buildings linked by a small enclosed courtyard. The north building was used as a baggage facility while the south building included the ticket office and waiting room. The original design which included a fountain was scaled back somewhat due to the costs incurred by the railroad as a result of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Although it was never disclosed formally by the railroad, the local newspapers reported that the new depot was part of a larger plan to re-route all mainline passenger trains through downtown Berkeley while extending the Berkeley Branch tracks northward from Berkeley along or through the Berkeley Hills where they would re-join the existing mainline. This possibility was not welcomed by the community.
In 1911, at the urging of the community backed up by a ruling by the California State Railroad Commission, the Southern Pacific replaced its small wooden depot at Delaware Street in West Berkeley
West Berkeley, Berkeley, California
West Berkeley is generally the area of Berkeley, California which lies west of San Pablo Avenue, abutting San Francisco Bay. It includes the area which was once the unincorporated town of Ocean View, as well as the filled-in areas along the shoreline west of I-80 including, mainly, the Berkeley...
which, although it lay along the existing mainline, was too small, and most mainline trains did not observe it as a scheduled stop. The new West Berkeley Station was constructed one block south of the Delaware depot at Third and University, and was as large as Berkeley Station. The Southern Pacific scheduled it as a regular stop for its mainline trains, and thus, Berkeley Station lost its primacy. It continued as a regular railroad depot, but was incorporated into the Southern Pacific's electric commuter system, the East Bay Electric Lines. When the opening of the rail line on the new San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was imminent in the late 1930s, the Southern Pacific successfully petitioned the Railroad Commission to close and demolish the depot at Berkeley Station, arguing that since the downtown trains would no longer connect with the mainline at the 16th Street Station (the bridge line bypassed it), such a large station was unnecessary. The depot was demolished in August 1938, its function replaced by a small ticket office in a commercial building which rose in its place.
In 1972, the name "Berkeley Station" was revived as the name of the BART stop in downtown Berkeley, but was changed to "Downtown Berkeley
Downtown Berkeley (BART station)
Downtown Berkeley is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station located on Shattuck Avenue, between Allston Way and Addison Street in Downtown Berkeley, California. Signs in the station itself read simply Berkeley, per se the original name of the station...
" in the 1990s.
The Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
stop adjacent to the old West Berkeley depot at Third and University is currently called "Berkeley Station". The depot itself survives as the new location (since 2008) of Brennan's Restaurant, itself one of the oldest surviving firms in Berkeley. From the early 1970s through the early 2000s, the China Station Restaurant had used the depot, having converted it after the Southern Pacific discontinued its railroad use.