Modesto’s plan for ACE train depot passes muster with guardians of historic treasures
Plans for a restored train depot in downtown Modesto have won approval from agencies charged with preserving history.
The city’s Landmark Preservation Commission voted Monday in favor of turning the 1915 building into an Altamont Corridor Express station. That came about two weeks after the California Office of Historic Preservation signed off on the plan.
Modesto could call for construction bids in early 2021 and have the station ready for the first ACE train in summer 2022, city Transit Manager Adam Barth said Wednesday night. He provided an online update to the Stanislaus Council of Governments, which oversees transportation planning in the county.
The city has state and federal funding to cover the estimated $5.64 million cost.
“I really look forward to all the changes that are coming to our station,” said City Councilwoman Jenny Kenoyer, who serves on StanCOG.
ACE will branch north and south
ACE has run between Stockton and San Jose by way of Livermore since 1998, mainly serving commuters. Two trains go west each weekday morning and return in the late afternoon and evening, down from four before the pandemic sapped ridership.
The system has full funding for a southern branch that will start as soon as 2022 with downtown stations in Manteca, Ripon, Modesto and Ceres. Stations will follow a few years later in Turlock, Livingston or Atwater, and Merced.
ACE also will branch north, with five stops in or near Lodi and Sacramento as soon as 2023. These tracks also will handle expanded Amtrak San Joaquins service to and from Bakersfield, including stops near the eastern edges of Modesto and Turlock.
Modesto’s ACE depot will be in a building erected by the Southern Pacific Railroad at Ninth and J streets. The tracks served passenger trains until 1971 and remain a busy freight corridor for the Union Pacific Railroad.
Southern Pacific designed the station in the Mission Revival style, with a tile roof, cupolas and other reminders of the Spanish missions of the 1700s.
The project includes removing some of the interior walls to increase lobby space for waiting passengers. New flooring, heating, cooling and restrooms will be installed.
White or off-white paint will cover interior walls that Barth described as “dark and uninviting.” A similar color will go on the pink exterior, which also will get stucco patching. The leaky roof will be fixed.
Bus riders will benefit, too
The depot is part of the Modesto Transportation Center, the hub for city, county and Greyhound buses. The center, dating to 1993, will get new paint, lighting, landscaping, pavers and security cameras as part of the project.
RED Inc. Architects of Modesto designed the renovations. JRP Historical Consulting of Davis compiled the detailed report that was part of Monday’s agenda packet.
Passengers will board trains on a siding that ACE will build next to the freight track. The funding will come from state grants totaling $900 million for all of the ACE and Amtrak expansions. Fuel taxes on drivers provide the money.
Downtown Modesto boosters say the depot could draw a dense mix of housing and businesses on nearby blocks. The idea is central to the master plan adopted by the City Council in August.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
