City Of San Rafael Historic Sites
699 Fourth Street - Union Station
From San Rafael Illustrated, 1884
The first railroad in Marin County was the San Rafael and San Quentin Railroad, which began operation in 1870, stopping at the B Street Station (now located at 728 A St.). In 1874, the North Pacific Coast Railroad built a narrow-gauge line from Sausalito through the Ross Valley to the Russian River; there was also a branch from San Anselmo to San Rafael.
In 1879, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad extended from Northern California to San Rafael, and in 1884 the Union Station was built by the owner of the SF & NP, Peter Donahue.
In 1879, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad extended from Northern California to San Rafael, and in 1884 the Union Station was built by the owner of the SF & NP, Peter Donahue.
Union Station, ca. 1893
On January 17, 1929 the Marin Journal announced the construction of the railroad’s new depots: “Northwestern Pacific stations at San Rafael and Ross will be opened January 25. The stations are an adaptation of the Mission style of architecture. At San Rafael the station has a long-arched arcade running along the front. Within is a spacious waiting room with half tiled walls, cement floors, comfortable seating facilities and a cigar, magazine and novelty stand. A large office for the agent, private telephone booths and handsomely finished washrooms complete the passenger traffic conveniences.”
San Rafael Train Depot, 1949
The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937 began the decline of passenger train and ferry service in Marin. The last passenger train left the San Rafael depot on November 10, 1958, marking the end of 88 years of passenger service. It traveled to Eureka and never returned.
Freight trains continued to run to San Rafael until the 1980s. In 2008, Sonoma and Marin voters approved the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter line, which began operations in 2017.
The current transit center - known as the C. Paul Bettini Transit Center for a former mayor - opened in 1991, constructed around the old station. You can see remnants of the 1929 depot, such as the arcade facing the SMART tracks and the western-facing facade.
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Boyd Gate House
1125 B Street, San Rafael
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