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Santa Fe Depot
November/December 2024
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Bakewell and Brown, prominent San Francisco architects, designed the station to complement the 1915 Panama-California Exposition buildings by Bertram Goodhue in Balboa Park, and it opened that year to accommodate thousands of tourists. SOHO saved this beloved landmark three different times. The railway station still operates as a busy transportation hub, meanwhile linking San Diego’s past and future.
The Santa Fe Depot first caught SOHO’s attention in 1972 when it was threatened by a redevelopment plan that included two high-rise office towers. SOHO advocated for the depot's preservation, sending letters to city council members, the mayor, and Santa Fe Railway officials. We emphasized the depot's historical significance as a symbol of San Diego’s railroad history and its architectural beauty in a downtown area increasingly dominated by modern glass and steel buildings. The parties reached a compromise that same year and the developers agreed to relocate their project.
The second battle took place in the late 1980s. This time, the threat came from development pressures related to downtown revitalization. Various proposals vied to transform the surrounding area into high-rise commercial and office spaces, which would have dwarfed and encroached upon the depot and its historic context. SOHO warned that these developments would overshadow the train depot or involve alterations that compromised its integrity. We, along with other preservation advocates, successfully pushed back against the plans, emphasizing the need to protect both the iconic structure and its role as an architectural landmark central to the city’s historic core.
The third major preservation effort occurred in the 2000s. With the expansion of San Diego’s transportation infrastructure, the depot’s landscape was threatened again—this time, by the city’s trolley and rail modernization projects. While the projects aimed to enhance public transit, some of the plans would have significantly changed the depot’s original design and compromised its historic character. SOHO intervened, advocating for a balanced approach that would allow for modernization without jeopardizing the building’s historical integrity. Ultimately, SOHO’s efforts ensured that the necessary transportation system updates were carried out while maintaining the depot’s architectural and historical authenticity.
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