Brisbane’s brick roundhouse has many stories to tell. Roundhouses were a distinct form of railroad architecture created to allow steam locomotives to be efficiently stored and turned around. Of the five roundhouses historically in San Francisco and its immediate vicinity, only two remain, and Brisbane’s is by far the larger one. In fact, it’s easily the largest remaining roundhouse in the entire state of California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed in the early 20th century as part of the Bayshore Cutoff, an ambitious plan to reroute the Southern Pacific Railroad’s entry into San Francisco, the Roundhouse serviced and turned engines hauling freight trains to and from the surrounding Bayshore Yard. This was once the busiest railyard on the west coast of the United States, handling nearly all freight entering and leaving San Francisco by rail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bayshore was a complete industrialized facility and employed hundreds of people on a daily basis. In addition to the Roundhouse, Bayshore’s buildings included the 4-story-high Machine & Erecting Shop and the Tank & Boiler Shop where passenger and freight engines alike underwent the heaviest of maintenance, the Planing Mill & Car Shop for woodwork and passenger car repairs, the Freight Car Repair Shed, and employee facilities that included a restaurant and a hospital. In addition, an icing facility for refrigerated boxcars was constructed a mile to the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Yard declined as rail traffic in San Francisco dwindled, with the Roundhouse closing down in 1982. The Yard was eventually abandoned entirely in 1988. Most buildings had been torn down by that point, but the Roundhouse has endured. As well, the Icehouse to the south is now home to Machinery and Equipment Company of Brisbane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the Roundhouse survives, decades of total abandonment have not been kind to it. A fire in 2001 burned half of the roof off, dirt and trash have thoroughly caked the floor and filled the inspection pits, every window has been shattered, and the surviving timber continues to deteriorate. Despite the condition, the city and landowners recognize the significance of the building and site. With the help of San Francisco Trains, the Roundhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Francisco Trains is working with the landowner and the Community of Brisbane to develop preservation plans as the redevelopment of Brisbane Baylands begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n