NPS Form 10 900 OMB Control No. 1024 0018 expiration date 03/31/2022 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: __Sierra Railway Shops Historic District____DRAFT____ Other names/site number: ____Sierra Railway Jamestown Shops, Railtown 1897 SHP_____ Name of related multiple property listing:______________________________________ (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing__________________ 2. Location Street & number: __18115 5th Avenue_____________________ City or town: __Jamestown____ State: __California_____ County: _Tuolumne______ Not For Publication: Vicinity: ______________________________________________________________ ______________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property ___ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide ___local Applicable National Register Criteria: ___A ___B ___C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10 900 Name of Property Sierra Railway Shops Historic District County and State Tuolumne, CA ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: Public – Local Public – State x Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) District x Site Structure Object 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10 900 Name of Property Sierra Railway Shops Historic District County and State Tuolumne, CA Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____8______ ______1_______ buildings _____________ ______7______ sites ______47_____ _____33_______ structures ______28_______ _____________ objects ______83_______ _____41________ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ____0_____ ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) __TRANSPORTATION: Rail-Related: Repair Shops___ __OTHER: Motion Picture Set___ ___________________ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _ TRANSPORTATION: Rail-Related: Repair Shops _ _RECREATION AND CULTURE: Museum__ _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) ___________________ ___________________ Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: WOOD CONCRETE BRICK METAL 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10 900 Name of Property Sierra Railway Shops Historic District County and State Tuolumne, CA Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph The Sierra Railway Shops are a 24 acre district of track, railroad-related buildings and structures, locomotives and rolling stock associated with the Sierra Railway, a short line railroad established in February 1897. Construction of the Sierra Railway Shops began in 1897 when the Sierra Railway reached the vicinity of Jamestown nine months after the start of railroad construction. The earliest extant building on the site is the freight shed, the earliest part of which was constructed in 1897-1899, and the largest is the roundhouse, built in 1910 and expanded in 1922 and 1928. The roundhouse’s original turntable, which predated the existing roundhouse, was replaced and modernized in 1922. A total of 29 static buildings and structures, constructed between 1897 and 1980, are located on the site. In addition, 38 locomotives and railroad cars directly associated with railroad operation are also located on the site, in addition to other railroad equipment, some potentially historic in its own right but not directly associated with Sierra Railway. Finally, there are 25 heavy machines built into the shop that contribute, makig tis one of only three railroad shops in all of North America that survives with its original steam locomotive machinery and tools intact. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The Sierra Railway Shops are a 24 acre district of track, railroad-related buildings and structures, locomotives, cars and other rolling stock associated with the Sierra Railway, a short line railroad established in 1897. The Shops complex is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, located in the small town of Jamestown and serving the abundant mineral, lumber and hydrological resources of the region. The list below captures the contributing and non-contributing properties within the Shops district boundary, including buildings and structures; railroad tracks; and locomotives, cars and other rolling stock, plus the surviving historical built-in machinery that provides the exceptional historical integrity for the site. 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10 900 Name of Property Sierra Railway Shops Historic District County and State Tuolumne, CA Buildings and Structures 1. General Office, Freight Office and Passenger Ticket Office site. This is the site of the former Sierra Railway General Office, Freight Office and later the Passenger Ticket Office. The first building on this site was constructed in 1898, with the Sierra Railway General Office on the 2nd floor, and the Freight Office on the 1st floor. It burned in 1913 and was replaced with the second structure with the same functions. The Passenger Ticket Office functions (but not a full depot) were added in 1915 after the Hotel Nevills (see 2 below) with the Passenger Depot burned, sharing office space with the already-existing Freight Office. The second building burned in 1978. The foundation of the General Office still remains, including the foundation of the former 2-story brick vault, indicating the former location of the building, but the site is not a contributor due to the absence of the General Office building on the site. 2. Hotel Nevills site: Built in 1898, the building included a full hotel, restaurant, saloon, and billiard room, as well as the Sierra Railway Jamestown Passenger Depot and Wells Fargo Express rooms. Some employees also used the hotel as their residence. The building was destroyed by fire in 1915; the Passenger Ticket Office (but not a full Depot) and Wells Fargo offices were then moved into the adjacent Sierra Railway General Office and Freight Office building (see 1 above). Some foundations and artifacts from the hotel survive on the site, as 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10 900 Name of Property Sierra Railway Shops Historic District County and State Tuolumne, CA well as a still extant concrete passenger train platform. It is not a contributor due to the absence of the hotel building on the site. 3. Freight House, Platform and Ice House Site (AKA Freight Shed or Freight