The Santa Fe railway's first San Bernardino station was built in 1886 and consisted of a two story wooden structure to house the Los Angeles administrative and freight offices. A quick burning fire completely destroyed the station in 1916. 
The city of San Bernardino asked the railway to build an impressive depot that would allow San Bernardino to cement its position as the Gateway to Southern California.
Santa Fe architect W.A. Mohr accepted the challenge of designing the largest and finest train depot west of the Mississippi.
The new depot opened on July 15, 1918. It's Mission Revival and Moorish elements with four domed towers, high beams, impressive columns, the Depot later housed a regal Harvey House with a restaurant capable of serving 1,200 customers a day.
The Santa Fe Depot almost deteriorated to ruins from the time the Harvey House stopped operations in the 1950s. 
In 1992, San Bernardino applied for Federal Grants to revitalize the Santa Fe Depot which is on the National Register of Historical Places. $15.1 was need to restore the Depot and its 57,000 square feet of space to its former glory.
Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson was commissioned to design the depot.
The cleanup work was extensive and included removing hazardous material such as asbestos and lead based paint.
In addition, crews had to remove 30 tons of pigeon droppings, 500 pounds of honey from inside the walls, and a climbing fig tree that wrapped itself around all the plumbing fixtures. 
The restoration work is now complete. In October, 2007, Angelina Jolie was at the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot to shoot scenes for the movie "The Changeling".
Metrolink riders will welcome the beautiful facility as well.
With the sky-high gas prices, perhaps the Santa Fe Depot will experience a rebirth.
The Santa Fe Depot is located in downtown San Bernardino, just a few blocks off of historic Route 66 at 1170 W. Third Street between Mount Vernon and I Street.
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