"Situated near the intersection of Wool and Leidesdorff Streets and next to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, the structure is a partially one and partially two-story rectangular wood frame building, surfaced in horizontal shiplap siding and shingles.
The structure has a gabled roof, and a gabled square two-story bay projects from the northeast elevation.
The upstairs of the two-story portion of the building originally contained living quarters for the Station Master. The one-story rear portion contained the baggage and freight areas of the depot, with a 36' by 36' concrete loading platform at the rear.
The gable and roof overhang extend beyond the northeast facade, forming an open waiting area at the front. This area is covered by the roof overhang, supported by angled brackets, that encircles the building. Gable ends are shingled, as is the roof. Windows are primarily double hung, with six lights above six. Transom windows stand above the entry doors. Large sliding doors beneath transoms provide access to the freight and baggage rooms. Applied vertical boards frame openings and intersect the horizontal frieze elements at the eaves. The cement loading platform stands four feet from the railroad line and is faced with rock. The ramped portion on the southwest is not yet completed.To the southwest of the Depot, lies the foundation of the original locomotive turntable. The turntable is shown in an early photograph of the former Depot and related railroad complex buildings. Although surface evidence of the turntable is now gone, the circular brick foundation that once held it still lies in place beneath the surface, as indicated on the accompanying map. This foundation is comprised of a four-foot wide circular brick strip, thirty feet in diameter, that forms a donut shape. The surface of the red brick foundation contains an accumulation of cinders, or slag, from the locomotive boilers, and lies between three and four feet below the surface.
The Folsom Station was erected on the site of the Terminus according to Southern Pacific Company Combination Plan #22, by 1906, and construction continued in stages from that time to 1924. Although Plan #22 of 1905 is a plan for a two-story structure, an early photo shows the Depot was first a one-story structure surrounded by Eucalyptus trees.
In 1909 extensive repairs were made, the structure was wired for electricity, and in 1916 it is reported that the second story was completed. Fires in 1924 and 1930 caused damage but rebuilding occurred according to the original plan with only minor changes. Differences include the following: the interchanging of kitchen and dining room with a bedroom on the second floor, the removal of the interior divider between office and public lobby, and an extra door in the freight room on the northeast elevation. Recent changes include the facing of the platform in rock.In May 1970, the station was donated to the City of Folsom, including 1.1 acres of property and rolling stock by the Southern Pacific Company. The turntable stands on land retained by the Southern Pacific but leased privately. The three railroad cars donated by that company now stand on the track alongside the Depot, and are included in the nomination as related and pertinent objects." (
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