Tehachapi Depot Memories...

[John Barnhill]

MEMORIES OF THE HISTORIC TEHACHAPI DEPOT

Photo here: [www.tehachapinews.com (http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewImages/content/19173)]

TEHACHAPI, CA -- The Tehachapi Heritage League is searching for photos and remembrances of the historic Tehachapi Depot in Tehachapi, California. The photos will be a valuable resource, not only to the Heritage League's photo archives, but will also assist the Friends of The Tehachapi Depot in their efforts to restore the depot, the last remaining "Type 23" depot still in existence in its original location.

Photos can either be loaned to the Heritage League for a short time so that a digital image can be scanned into the photo archives, or donated to the League so that a permanent record is available for future research. Curator of Photography, Nick Smirnoff has been working with Charmaine Ripton to fully organize and computerize the photos and images currently in the League's collection. Anyone who has photos of the Tehachapi Depot, particularly interior shots, is asked to contact Charles White at 972-0958 to make arrangements for them to be added to the collection. Anyone with photos that show people, places, events or other aspects of Tehachapi's past are also encouraged to donate the actual photos or to allow the League to make digital copies for posterity.

An article in the February issue of The Settlers' Gazette, the newsletter of the Tehachapi Heritage League, will give a brief history and remembrances of the current depot, erected at its original site at the corner of Green Street and Tehachapi Boulevard in 1904. The newsletter is sent six times annually to members of the Tehachapi Heritage League, which operates the Tehachapi Museum and the historic Errea House Museum, the oldest house in Tehachapi.

Originally built circa 1870, the Errea House was moved from the Old Town area on horse-drawn log rollers to its present site around 1900, as a direct result of the location of the railroad tracks and the original Tehachapi Depot, which was more of a telegraph shack. Annual membership levels in the League start at fifteen dollars.

In addition to the history of the Depot in the February article, a few brief remembrances are being collected by Pat Gracey, a Tehachapi native who remembers when the railroad was the chief method of travel and shipping from the Tehachapi area. We ask anyone who remembers the depot during it's time as a stopping point for trains, to please write up a brief history and pass it along to the League so that we can start to compile those stories and anecdotes.

The Friends of the Tehachapi Depot is a separate organization from the Heritage League. Its members have been working with the City of Tehachapi to begin the restoration of the depot. So far they have spent many man-hours removing the lowered ceilings, false walls and other later additions to the building, in order to prepare for the interior restoration. A new roof and paint job will soon recreate the original exterior colors. The mustard yellow siding was complimented by brown trim and green wood shingles on the roof.

In the near future, a small exhibition of items from the Stokoe Collection, a comprehensive collection of railroad signals, lanterns, locks, signs, dining car china and other railroad memorabilia will be exhibited at the Tehachapi Museum at 310 S. Green St. in a collaborative effort of the League and the Friends. The Stokoe Collection is owned by the City of Tehachapi, and at a later date, the entire Stokoe Collection will be exhibited at the restored Tehachapi Depot. - Charles White, The Tehachapi News

[jpkazarian]

Have a video of the Tehachapi Depot on a summer day in 1994.

Visit my site in signature below. Or visit YouTube:

YouTube - ATSF 8158 Westbound at Tehachapi Depot

[John Barnhill]

Welcome aboard Jason!! :D

I'd watch the video but my computer really really sucks at that type of use. :(

[John Barnhill]

TEHACHAPI COUNCIL ACCEPTS BID TO RE-ROOF HISTORIC DEPOT

TEHACHAPI, CA -- On Feb. 5, the city council agreed to accept the only bid submitted for the re-roofing of the historic train depot, located at the intersection of Tehachapi Boulevard and Green Street. The $41,250 contract was awarded to BSW Roofing, of Bakersfield, nearly a year after the council first approved a $50,000 budget for the roof to kick off the depot's long-awaited restoration project.

"In the next 30 days the public should see activity," said Assistant City Manager Greg Garrett. "It should be done by late spring. This is not like roofing a shed in your back yard."

Newly elected councilman Stan Beckham inquired if the authentic wood shingle roof was a necessary expense and if a metal roof might not be more cost effective.

Community Development Director David James reminded Beckham that the city has a responsibility to restore the building as authentically as possible, as the 103 year old depot was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1999.

The city will attempt to move forward with the restoration of another of Tehachapi's historic buildings as the council voted to allow city staff to begin a re-design and engineering study of the historic Beekay Theater.

Garrett also appealed to the council for guidance and design suggestions, to which the council advised that input should be gathered from the community design Charrette studio, scheduled to begin Feb. 13. Garrett said his staff will provide enlarged photos of the building's interior for viewing during the Charrette process.

An indoor atrium, complete with meandering pathway, foliage, benches, fountains and other park-like amenities is being considered in an effort to reduce ever-rising construction costs, Garrett explained.

"The Beekay Atrium is strategically placed to provide an idyllic setting for public gatherings, musical performances or simply a relaxing atmosphere for local workers during the week. This type of facility would blend gracefully and beautifully into the vision of downtown Tehachapi and encourages visitors and residents to support the downtown area," Garrett's background report states.

Bids for the renovation of the Beekay Theater for use as a public facility were opened one year ago, with only one bid in the amount of $970,500 being submitted. According to Garrett, the building's unique construction, consisting of steel railroad rails and concrete, make demolition of the 1940s-era building cost prohibitive.

"Aside from the historical value, the cost to demolish the building was just astronomical," Mayor Pro-Tem Deborah Hand said.

Hand also expressed concern for the open-air style suggested by Garrett, who responded that triangle-shaped canvas awnings could be utilized to provide cover from the elements and Tehachapi's famous four seasons. Security issues were also expressed by council and audience members. - Carin Enovijas, The Tehachapi News