Point Richmond Historic District

The Point Richmond Historic District is the downtown area of Point Richmond in Richmond, California, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.HistoryThis historic district developed in the late 1890s when the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railway occupied 57acre of land in the area that is now the neighborhood downtown of Point Richmond. The acres were bought by the Santa Fe Railroad upon completion and at the same time the Pacific Coast Oil Company (later Standard Oil, today Chevron) acquired adjacent lands and built an oil refinery. The completion of these projects attracted the first residents to this area.Point Richmond served as the downtown district of Richmond until the city expanded along the central flatlands of western Contra Costa County during the beginning of the 20th century. This city's expansion led to a larger downtown to the northeast which was exacerbated by tens of thousands of World War II shipbuilding workers. Point Richmond was the terminal of the East Shore & Suburban Railway's Refinery-County Line route; that rail system was a predecessor of the Key System.Today maps are provided by the city of Richmond's Convention and Visitors Bureau for individuals to take walking tours of the historic zone. The historic area is now only a small portion of the larger neighborhood but still serves as the center for neighborhood businesses and civic affairs. There was much controversy regarding the inclusion of a Starbuck's café in 2004 as the area had up until that point not had any chain stores, although many residents opposed the coffee shop it opened in that same year and the residents have calmed regarding the subject.