Santa Fe Depot District — Looking to the Future
The City of San Bernardino is working to establish a “Mercado Santa Fe Depot District” with shops, restaurants, landscaping and other features that follow the Mission Revival architectural theme. City officials hope that the restoration of the depot will serve as a catalyst for future redevelopment of this area. Other improvements are proposed for this area by the City of San Bernardino, as follows:
- Improvements to the commercial area to the south of the depot and facing 2nd Street to provide essential uses for residents and to serve as a community gathering place
- Light industrial development in the area between K Street and Interstate 215
- Future residential improvements, including the relocation of historic homes from the Lakes & Streams Project and other areas planned for clearance to vacant lots in the Depot District
- Other residential improvements, including a “Neighborhood Spirit Property Improvement Program,” pre-approved home plans ready to build, an in-fill housing development program and housing rehabilitation programs
- Future roadway improvements that will extend from the Santa Fe Depot to Interstate 215 to the east, Rialto Avenue to the south and Mt. Vernon Avenue to the west
- Site improvements, including new shade trees, a landscaped traffic median along 2nd Street between Mt. Vernon Avenue and K Street, new street lights in a style reminiscent of the depot’s heyday, pedestrian sidewalks, a bike path, Historic Depot District entry monuments and the realignment of Viaduct Boulevard to create a four-way intersection with 2nd Street and Giovanola Avenue.
The San Bernardino Railway Historical Society also is seeking financial and volunteer support to establish a permanent covered home in the Depot District for restored steam locomotive 3751, which was donated to the city by the Santa Fe Railway in 1957. According to the Railway Historical Society, this steam locomotive “has come to represent the great railroad heritage of the southwest as a fully operational ambassador of the steam era.” For more information about steam locomotive 3751, see the link below.
For More Information
- Visit the San Bernardino Railroad Society’s website, www.sbrhs.org
- View early photos of the Harvey House restaurant and other related historic photographs provided by the University of Arizona at http://digital.library.arizona.edu/harvey