Perris Depot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Perris Depot
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 120 W. Fourth St., Perris, California |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Benjamin Franklin Levet Sr. |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000819 |
| Added to NRHP | August 5, 1994 |
The Perris Depot is an old train building in Perris, California. It was built way back in 1892. This station replaced an older wooden building that stood in the same spot. It was part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line. This line was first called the California Southern Railroad.
A Look Back in Time
The Perris Depot was built by J.W. Nance. He was a developer in Perris. The building was designed by Benjamin Franklin Levet, Sr. His father-in-law was Fred T. Perris, a very important person in the town's history.
This train station was very busy. It was used for people traveling by train. It also helped move lots of farm products from the Perris Valley. But over time, fewer people rode the trains. Passenger service stopped completely in 1947.
Farming in the area also slowed down. This was because there wasn't enough water. Also, the soil became too salty. So, farms were replaced by new neighborhoods. By 1975, almost all the train tracks at the station were no longer used.
Since 1974, the Perris Depot has been home to a museum. The Perris Valley Historical and Museum Association uses it to show the history of the local area. In the 1990s, there was talk about using the depot again for trains that carry people to work.
What Does It Look Like?
The Perris Depot is made of red bricks. It is built in a style called Queen Anne. This style often has special features. The depot has a cool round tower with a cone-shaped roof. It also has round windows and an arched doorway.
The building is one story tall. It is mostly shaped like a rectangle. In the middle, there's a part that sticks out. It has an arched entrance on one side. On the other side, it has a round section with a small dome on top.
The brick gables (the triangular parts of the roof) are partly sloped. You can see big "PERRIS" signs on them. A comb-like decoration sits on top of the main roof. It has "SANTA FE" signs facing the train platforms.
The Depot Today
Today, the Perris Depot is used by the Orange Empire Railway Museum. It's the end point for their fun excursion trains. The depot was fixed up and made new in 2007 and 2008. Now, the building is home to the Perris Valley Historical Museum.
A new transit center opened next to the depot in 2010. It's called the Perris Multimodal Transit Center. Here, you can catch buses and Metrolink trains. The Metrolink train line was extended through Perris in June 2016. It now stops at the nearby Downtown Perris station. The museum still operates inside the old depot.
The Perris Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This means it's an important historical building.
