Ukiah Railroad Depot Historic Resource Evaluation

It’s a relic, an old depot on a long-closed passenger railroad. Or is it a community space, a vital link to civic history? When the Judicial Council of California (JCC) prepared to build a new Mendocino County Courthouse in downtown Ukiah, right next door to the old depot, an existing EIR required it to assess the need to protect the historic value of the site and surrounding area.

The colonial revival-style train depot had served the Southern Pacific Railroad in the early twentieth century, when Ukiah was a booming packing and shipping point. But it had fallen into disuse. The JCC needed to mitigate impacts on the site by preparing a Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) for the depot building and several associated site features, and to provide technical guidance on how to consult with the State Historic Preservation Office.

MIG historians assessed the site, including the former depot building, the railroad grade, and the foundations of a silo, a warehouse, and a train car turnaround, and included photo documentation, field verification, and archival research in the City of Ukiah archives and at the county historical society.

The report found that the depot meets the standard for historic significance under both the California and National registers. The findings were also formatted in California Department of Parks and Recreation forms and appended to the HRE. An action plan outlined requirements and next steps to support consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office.

By cataloging and protecting its history as a boomtown, Ukiah has connected its current County seat with its storied past. Visitors to the new courthouse complex will experience the site’s historic features, as well as its present functions.