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Yellow and brown wooden railroad depot with a "FILLMORE" sign, three windows with white shutters, and a covered porch, situated along railroad tracks with trees in the foreground.
Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot in its current location along the railroad tracks, 2016. Credit: Fillmore Historical Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ventura County Landmark No. 48: Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Fillmore

Historical Background

The Fillmore Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was constructed in 1887 as part of the great expansion of the Southern Pacific Rail System at that time (Perzel, 2017). Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot accommodated both freight and passenger service in and out of Ventura County, with a heavy emphasis on the distribution of agricultural goods. Likely no single event in the County’s history changed so many people’s lives as the coming of the railroad. The site was chosen as a midway stop between Saugus and Ventura. As was the case in numerous towns across the American West, the railroad played a major role in the development of Fillmore (Perzel, 2017). The station was built and named after Southern Pacific’s West Coast superintendent, Jerome A. Fillmore, and the town followed in 1888 (Williams, 1991). The stop proved critical in supporting the local citrus and oil industries from 1910-20. The last passenger train pulled out in 1935, but the freight business continued, at one time occupying four full-time employees (Williams, 1991).

Thirteen other depots were constructed throughout Ventura County at the following locations: Oxnard, Santa Susana, Fillmore, Piru, Ojai, Camarillo, Moorpark, Sespe, Camulos, Somis, Saticoy, Montalvo, and downtown Ventura (Perzel, 2017). Of the fourteen Southern Pacific Railroad Depots once located in Ventura County, only a few remain, including the one in Fillmore (Perzel, 2017).

In 1917, Fillmore State Bank constructed a two-story Mediterranean/Italian Renaissance brick and terra cotta building, designed by Albert C. Martin. The Second Street entrance is emphasized with classically based voussoirs (a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault) and cable and bullet molding archivolts. Cartouches flank the sign above. The cornice line above the windows contains small medallions, and the roof is topped with Mission tile (Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board Staff, 2016).

Initially, the building housed both the Fillmore State Bank and the town library. The Fillmore State Bank remained at this location until 1927, when it was purchased by the Bank of Italy. Over the following decades, the building housed Bank of America and then the Bank of A. Levy. After being occupied by First Interstate Bank and then Wells Fargo, banking services eventually relocated to a new facility constructed on Sespe Avenue (Fillmore Historical Museum, n.d.).

The Bank of Fillmore Building was awarded Historical Landmark No. 47 in 1979, and in 1985 the building had its exterior plaque—previously reading “Bank of A. Levy”—replaced with signage restoring its original historic name, “Fillmore State Bank” (Background Documents for Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 47, 1979).

Relocation and Rehabilitation

When the building faced the prospect of demolition in 1974, Edith Moore Jarrett Roderick Brown bought the Southern Pacific depot for $1 plus 5 cents tax (Fillmore Historical Museum, 2020). It was moved from the Southern Pacific right of way to the north side of Main Street near the former fire station, where it became the home for the Fillmore Historical Museum. When more space was needed, Edith purchased a boxcar and filled it with railroad artifacts (Fillmore Historical Museum, 2020). A pair of Sespe sandstone Ionic columns salvaged from the first Fillmore State Bank stood at the entranceway.

In 1994, the Northridge Earthquake severely damaged the buildings and items in the collection (Fillmore Historical Museum, 2020). Museum volunteers rose to the challenge and, working with the City of Fillmore, the depot and boxcar were moved to the south side of Main Street (Fillmore Historical Museum, 2020). The Corl family donated the small bungalow home of Dr. Ira Hinckley and his wife and Kate and James P. Finch donated bunkhouse #2 from Rancho Sespe. The museum moved both structures and restored them. In 10 years, the Historical Museum had become a Historical Park (Fillmore Historical Museum, 2020). Today, this prefabricated railroad building is located near its original site along the railroad tracks, although it is now upgraded to meet current building codes, with new features such as a loading dock, new electrical wiring, and steel beams (Richard, 2007).

Additional Reading

References

Fillmore Historical Museum (October 7, 2020). “A Little History About the People Bringing You the Stories About Fillmore History.” The Fillmore Gazette. http://www.fillmoregazette.com/front-page/little-history-about-people-bringing-you-stories-about-fillmore-history.

Perzel, Rachel Beth (August 2017). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Saticoy Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.

Richard, Sam (November 14, 2007). “Restored Fillmore depot nearly ready.” VC Star. https://archive.vcstar.com/news/restored-fillmore-depot-nearly-ready-ep-374740109-352740771.html/.

Williams, Kathleen (January 17, 1991). “Landmarks/County Historical Sites: Depot Preserves Town’s Railroad Origins.” Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-17-me-355-story.html.

Date Designated: May 1979

Location: 447 Main Street, Fillmore

Photos: 

Black-and-white historical photograph of a Southern Pacific Railroad steam locomotive (number 2387) at Fillmore's depot, with the station building displaying "FILLMORE" and palm trees visible.
Historical photo of Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Credit: Fillmore Historical Museum.
Black-and-white photograph of a steam locomotive on a metal truss bridge in the Santa Clara Valley, with mountains visible in the background. Credit: Fillmore Historical Museum.
Photo of railroad in the Santa Clara Valley. Credit: Fillmore Historical Museum.
Black-and-white historical photograph of Fillmore's Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, a small wooden building with visible signage, situated beside railroad tracks with utility poles, trees, and mountains in the background.
Historical photo of Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Credit: Fillmore Historical Museum.
Yellow Fillmore Southern Pacific Railroad Depot with a brown "Southern Pacific" freight car on the left, a railroad crossing sign, and a blue pickup truck on the street, relocated in the 1970s.
Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot after it was relocated in the 1970s and prior to its current location.
A yellow Southern Pacific Railroad Depot building with "Railway Express Agency" signage, a "FILLMORE" street sign, and a red freight car, relocated circa 1980s with mountains and power lines in the background.
Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot after it was relocated, circa 1980s.
Yellow Southern Pacific Railroad Depot building with "Railway Express Agency" signage, a Southern Pacific freight car to the left, and a railroad crossing sign to the right, relocated circa 1980s.
Fillmore’s Southern Pacific Railroad Depot after it was relocated, circa 1980s.

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