History buffs want train station

Vending machines are replacing cashiers at the historic Burlingame train station and a local historical group hopes the building can also provide a ticket to the city's past.

Although the California Drive building itself is not officially closing, the Burlingame Historical Society hopes the sunset on human ticket vendors may spell an opportunity to take over the space.

The station, built in the Mission Revival style, first opened for service on Oct. 10, 1894. It was funded by the Burlingame Country Club and is one of the few stations not designed by an in-house architect. Many believe it to be the oldest site in Burlingame.

Caltrain officials, though, say there are too many unknowns -- particularly surrounding high-speed rail -- to guarantee that a museum could be a possibility.

"One of the problems is the future of high-speed rail. When it comes along the right of way the stations will have to move some distance. So before you make a permanent museum, if I were involved in the transaction, I'd want to know where the building may be," said Samtrans Chair Mike Nevin.

A bright yellow letter posted on the window of the train station alerts riders to the change, noting that the station generates the smallest number of sales among all the Caltrain stations. The station is closing to "make more effective use of all resources," and will halt all sales Friday, June 11.

In April, the clerk only sold $14,600 worth of tickets, an average of $730 every day, said Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin.

"We've seen sales decline from the ticket clerk so instead of employing someone who is not selling tickets we thought we'd use the position elsewhere," Haskin said.

The building will stay open to provide sitting areas, rest rooms and on-site personnel, Nevin said but Haskin said the agency is still trying to figure out how to do that without the clerk's position. Instead, the real estate department is looking at the possibility of leasing it out.

Tenants would like be barred from making any physical changes to the station because it is a historical landmark. Burlingame Historical Society president Russ Cohen believes the difficulty of finding lessors willing to take the site as-is will work in the group's favor as it asks for the space.

Cohen wants the building for a historical museum and says the society would definitely not seek to alter it in any way. The only hitch is that the society wants the station for free.

But like many nonprofits, the society doesn't have the funds to buy the building outright. As Cohen joked at a recent historical society gathering, the group needs donations to buy a projector that can attach to a computer. And, oh yeah, they need the computer, too.

The only real solution, Cohen said, is a donation. He is rallying members of the public for a letter writing campaign to Nevin.

Nevin, though, maintains that the building is not officially closing and therefore not available for donation right now.

Haskin said it will be available and that a museum is a viable idea. However, a business that could raise money -- much as Pisces restaurant does for the Broadway station -- is preferable, she said.

"We'll look at wanting to be a good neighbor but a revenue generator would be great," she said.

Cohen envisions a historical museum similar to one in Colma. He said there is also precedent for using a train station -- just north in Millbrae, city leaders are expected to approve using a section of its station for a Millbrae Historical Museum.

The only difference is that the Burlingame station was being used. It housed the ticket counters for Caltrain, at least until the board of directors decided that June 11 will be the official last day of counter sales. After that Friday, riders must use one of the vending boxes already located at the station.

Nevin said the Millbrae station cannot become a permanent museum yet for the same obstacle facing Burlingame: the fact that high-speed rail may mean the station could move.

High-speed rail does not refer to the 79 mph baby bullet trains that begin operation next month. Instead, it is a statewide proposal that would connect the Bay Area with Southern California via high-speed trains. The idea is far from a done deal because of funding snafus and political battles over $10 billion in construction bonds. The 700-mile project won't even be voted on until 2008 at the earliest.

Cohen admits it may be premature to begin lobbying for the train station, but maintains it would be an ideal location for a museum.

"It is a great focal point and it would be a nice thing to have [a museum] in a central location," Cohen said. "Many other Peninsula cities have their own museums. It is important to educate the community on its respective history."

A historical museum would also allow the society to grow, Cohen said. Right now, it only has an archive room in Washington Park.

The group currently can't accept much of the signs, posts, knickknacks and photographs offered to it because it simply doesn't have the space. Recently, the former Stanaway's grocery store sign from Broadway was offered up. While a huge find for the society, it had to pass.

"It was just too large for us," Cohen said.

The society had also pondered using a condemned home at 512 Primrose Road for a historical museum. The owner of the house offered it for free to any person who had land where it could be moved to -- the developer even threw in moving costs. But nobody had a viable plot of land, including the society, and it was recently torn down after a year of searching.

The society has not actively sought out a museum location but is keeping its eyes open for possibilities, Cohen said.

"We can try to get grant funding but that is putting the cart before the horse. Oftentimes it works better if you identify the space first," he said.