For nearly a century, Atherton’s train station served as a connection between the town and the rest of the Peninsula. After Caltrain announced the end of its service in the town in 2020, the station’s future became uncertain. On Oct. 18, the previous station reopened its doors, this time as a museum dedicated to preserving the town’s railroad history.
Beyond preserving the station, the town hopes the museum will give visitors a broader understanding of Atherton’s history, spanning from long before the railroad arrived to today.
“We’re hoping that it just provides a little bit of awareness of the town’s history. From the Ohlone Indians who were here way back when to what it is today, it’s changed a lot, and I think the eras of the station depict that,” Atherton City Manager George Rodericks said.
Despite offering very little service after its opening in the early 1920s, the station quickly became an important part of Atherton’s identity. Due to Atherton’s ban on commercial buildings, the station stood out because it was one of the few exceptions.
The museum is made up of six dioramas, each representing one of Atherton’s important time periods. “The six eras of the station go all the way back to the 1920s, when there wasn’t actually an actual station. It was more of a flag stop where people waved the flag and the train stopped. So each [diorama] depicts an era in the town’s history, the things that were going on in California and the nation at the time,” Rodericks said.
Following the station’s closure, the Atherton Town Council discussed the next steps for the building, which is owned by Caltrain. Among the many possibilities, the most popular options were a public gathering space or a museum featuring the town’s railroad history.
“The council thought about turning it into a static museum, or turning it into just an open gazebo-type area for people to hang out, and the museum idea gained traction,” Rodericks said.
The project gained additional support as Atherton prepared to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023.
Although Caltrain discontinued service to Atherton in 2020, the former station did not reopen as a museum until Oct. 18. The six-year gap between the station’s closure and the museum’s opening raised uncertainties about the future of the building. According to Rodericks, several factors contributed to the delay.
“It took a while for us to collaborate with Caltrain about what to do with the station. They had to appropriate the funding for it, and then it took the city council a good couple of years to figure out what they wanted the museum to be, and then actually finish construction,” Rodericks said.
The funding for the renovations of the building mainly came from Caltrain, according to Rodericks. However, the town still had a major influence in choosing what the building was going to become.
“[The town council was] very involved. Caltrain provided $400,000 toward renovation of the building, and then the town provided funding toward putting in the museum,” Rodericks said.
“It’s not going to be this draw of 200 people at a time coming through. But if there’s one or two people that come through during the day, that’s a success,” Rodericks said.
Although passenger service no longer runs through Atherton, the former station continues to serve as a connection to the town’s past. Through its six dioramas, the museum preserves the history of a station that has witnessed nearly a century of change.
