History

"The Dream Completed and The Vision Fulfilled"

The Development of the Capistrano Depot Restaurant
San Juan Capistrano, California

In the summer of 1974 Jim and Pete Tyson, two brothers from Newport Beach, CA negotiated a 30 year land lease with the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company (a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, Incorporated). Our lease contained two addition 10 year options which were ours. The land that was leased was approximately 95 feet wide and 900 feet long and extended from Verdugo Street, ran parallel to the A.T.& S.F main line all the way up to and including, the giant Pepper Tree at the far North end of the site. All buildings (the Depot and the Freight House) and railroad track on site were included in the land lease.

  • Seismic Concerns and Remedies
    • The Orange County Building Department required us to remove the white wash that covered the entire Depot in order to reveal any cracks in the ornate brick work or in the 2 foot thick rock interior walls.
    • Once the sandblasting was completed, for seismic, we built steel supports that were applied just below the exposed ceiling in the colonnade and applied steel straps in all of the doorways.
    • The sandblasting reveled fossils – sea shells and sea life in rocks that were used in constructing the 2 foot thick rock interior walls of the Depot.
    • The Orange County Building Department also required us to secure the Depot’s roof plate to the brick and stone building. We first removed the Spanish Tile Roof. These Spanish Tiles were hand made, had no fastening holes in them and were not secured to the underlayment. We very carefully removed them and donated them to the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society. We placed them on pallets and gave them to Steven Rios at the Rios Adobe. We then drilled holes in the plate and the brick and stone walls and placed heavy bolts in special approved fastening adhesive to secure the roof the structure. Then re-roofed the Depot and the Freight House.
    • We discovered the roof truss system was all Redwood and all of the lumber used was “net.” In other words a 6” by 12” piece of Redwood Lumber was precisely 6” by 12”. Also discovered square headed nails were used throughout.
  • Conceptualized, constructed, remodeled and, restored the historic circa 1895 Santa Fe Railroad Depot (the original Depot construction was completed in the fourth quarter of 1894 and its first full year of operation was 1895), and circa 1905 Freight House in 1974. This included the restoration and renovation of nine rail cars all joined together by a glass enclosed walking platform that extended all the way from the Caboose at the North Parking Lot to the Depot. We also created the North Parking Lot, grading, paving and striping 101 spaces. Providing ingress and egress to and from Camino Capistrano. Altogether we developed a 12,000 square foot fine dining, drinking, entertainment, and shopping experience with more parking than the code at that time required.
  • Seven Refrigerator Cars were purchased from Pacific Fruit Express (Co-Owned and Operated by the Union Pacific Railway and the Southern Pacific Railway) in Auburn, California, a Caboose purchased from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway in their Hobart Yard in Los Angeles, and, a Santa Fe Railway Buffet/Library Car from a private party at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California. The Buffet/Library Car, named the Chief Satanta, car number 1300, was a 1930’s vintage heavyweight Pullman Car manufactured by the Pullman Standard Company in Chicago, Illinois and was used continually on the Santa Fe Railway’s Los Angeles to Chicago to Los Angeles famous passenger train, The Chief. It was also the only heavyweight Pullman Car ever used on the new, all Aluminum passenger train The Super Chief when it made it’s debut in the 1950’s, as the all Aluminum Pullman Lounge Car was not completed when the Super Chief began operations.
  • The Pullman Buffet/Library Car was meticulously restored thanks to the assistance of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company as they provided original colors (ivory in the interior with brown accents and dark olive green on the exterior). We also added the name “Chief Satanta” and car number 1300 to the exterior in gold. Original fabric swatches (which we found and matched) for the original wicker furniture that was in the 1930 car and we purchased new wicker furniture to match the original, original carpet swatches (which we also found and matched), and finally, pin striping details for the interior of the car (which we also had applied). All of the Rail Cars were delivered by rail by the A.T. & S. F. Railway.
  • Meticulous detail was used in the acquisition and placement of Santa Fe authentic equipment and items throughout the entire project. This included several Baggage Wagons, a Semaphore Signal, 2 Wig Wag Signals (all of which we made operative), a Remains Truck (a four wheeled cart that looked like a Baggage Wagon but had rollers on its bed that could be raised to the level of the floor of a Passenger Train Baggage Car for the transportation of coffins. Five ornate Depot Benches and four Brass Chandeliers (2 used in the Agent’s Office and 2 used in the Waiting Room of the Depot). A very large Platform Scale was placed outside the Main Bar near the Freight House and was used as our bandstand for entertainment. All items were collected from closed Santa Fe Depots in Southern California and Northern Arizona – entry was granted and arranged by the Railroad.
  • During the construction of the Capistrano Depot, the nine rail cars were stored on a rail siding between Verdugo Street and del Obispo Street between Los Rios Street and the A.T. & S. F. Main Line. Considerable interior work was accomplished when the rail cars were in this location.
  • Installed 500 feet of rail, railroad ties, and ballast for the placement of the nine rail cars being used.
  • Once the site work and track laying for the nine rail cars was completed on site, the A.T. & S.F. Railway sent a Switch Engine to San Juan Capistrano to move the cars on to the site. They pulled the nine car consist North up past the curve on the Main Line. Once they had cleared the curve, track crews disconnected the rail from the Main Line and connected it to track they had laid on site, they connected their on site track to the track we had laid. Once the nine car consist was safely on site, the A.T. & S.F. Railway exited the Switch Engine and reconnected the track to the Main Line.
  • Since we had arranged the nine rail consist in order of placement of rail cars on site, we began one by one placing the rail cars in position. We needed two cranes from Mr. Crane to lift and place 5 of the Refrigerator Cars. For the balance, we merely rolled one car at a time (a Refrigerator Car, the Pullman Buffet/Library Car, a Refrigerator Car and the Caboose), into place.
  • Use of the Railroad Cars (in order from the Depot going North)
    • One Box Car – served as the walk-in cooler, freezer and dry storage for the kitchen.
    • One Box Car – served as the Men’s and Women’s Public Restrooms.
    • One Pullman Buffet/Library Car – served as a seating area in the cocktail lounge entertainment area.
    • One Box Car – served as staff locker rooms, staff shower, and office.
    • One Caboose – served as a private dining room with seating for 16.
    • Two Box Cars – North and adjacent to the Freight Hours/Main Bar, whose common walls were removed served as our Banquet Room, “The Board Room.”
    • Two Box Cars – North and adjacent to “The Board Room.” serves as the Amtrak Ticket Office.
  • Fabricated and installed 30 “Y” steel supports which covered a wooden walkway that extended from the Caboose past and around the Freight House (Bar) and all the way to the Historic Depot. The walkway was glass enclosed, overlooked a brick patio which served as an outdoor dining area and tied the entire project together from the parking lot to the Depot.
  • Building Interiors and Exteriors
    • The Main Bar (located in the 1905 Freight House)
      • Installed a Santa Fe Railway Regulator Clock, a train schedule board, and a 2 tracks grade crossing warning light.
      • The bar footrest was steel rail that was found on the site. The rail had markings on it saying it was from the Joliet, Illinois Steel Mill and was manufactured in November, 1885.
      • Constructed a solid Oak vintage bar, liquor and mix storage, 2 pouring stations/waitress stations and an adjacent liquor room with an ice machine. Also constructed three solid Oak booths inside the Freight House. We discovered years of graffiti on the interior walls and elected to save it all as it was part of the Depot’s and Freight House’s history.
      • Outside the Main Bar (Freight House) was a circa 1920’s two seat, oak, shoe shine stand with a marble base and brass foot rests. There was a man who would shine shoes outside the bar. Next to the shoe shine stand stood a 1930’s, 7 foot porcelain Barber Pole with a rotating red, white and blue cylinder.
  • The Dining Room (located in the 1895 Depot Building)
    • The Colonnade
      • We had to glass in nine of the arches of the Colonnade. To accomplish this we saw cut in the middle of each arch up one side of the opening, all away around the arch, and down the other side of the opening.
    • Agent’s Office
      • Preserved the window in the North wall of the Agent’s Office by constructing a wine storage room on the North side adjacent to the new kitchen. The metal door on the wine storage room is from the Pullman Buffet/Library Car.
      • Placed a Santa Fe Pendulum Clock, rows of clipboards containing Santa Fe Bills of Lading, Train Orders, Inventories, Schedules, etc.
      • Bookshelves containing Santa Fe Railroad Operation Files from other Santa Fe Depots.
      • Constructed a solid Oak booth in the Agent’s bay-window.
      • Placed Red Oak Wainscoting around the Agent’s Office.
    • Ticket Office
      • Santa Fe Travel Posters – specifically the Southwest United States.
      • Uncovered a boarded up fireplace. Plumbed it with a gas line and gas logs and made it functional.
      • Placed a Santa Fe Railway Regulator Clock above the fireplace.
      • Placed Red Oak Wainscoting around the Waiting Room.
    • Baggage Room
      • Constructed shelving and loaded all of the shelves with luggage from the 1930’s and 1940’s.
      • Constructed two solid Oak booths in the Baggage Room.
    • Door Casings, Windows and Window Casings
      • All of the door casings, exterior side of the windows and window casings were repainted with the traditional Santa Fe turquoise blue. This color was used on all Santa Fe Depots throughout their system.
  • Belt Driven Ceiling Fans with Electric Lights
    • Purchased and installed a ceiling fan system that was belt driven and operated by two motors. We had 11 fans (seven in the Colonnade – one in each archway and two fans in the Agent’s Office, one in the Waiting Room and one in the one in the Baggage Room). The fans also had 4 light fixtures on them. Due to the fact the ceilings are so tall in the Depot, we had to fabricate steel supports that were fastened to the ceiling and then the fans were fastened to the supports in order for them to be functional to circulate air, provide illumination, enjoyed and seen.
  • Patio
    • Extended from the Depot bordered by a fence parallel to the railroad tracks to the West and by the Enclosed Walking Platform to the East all the way to the entertainment area next to the Main Bar.
    • Planted 5 Jacaranda trees in the patio and had several baggage wagons loaded with 1930’s vintage Orange Packing Crates and they were filled with planted flowers.
    • Used 12 white metal round, glass top tables and with 4 white metal chairs each for seating for a total of 48 seats. Would also use rectangular banquet tables that could seat 10 for large parties.
  • Created a Banquet Room called “The Board Room” out of two Box Cars that were between the Freight House (Main Bar) and the two Box Cars housing the Amtrak Ticket Office. We removed the common walls of the two Box Cars and created one large Banquet Room.
  • Kitchen and Service Bar/Server Station
    • Geoffrey S, Beckham Design of Costa Mesa, California designed the Main Bar (in the Freight House) as well as our Service Bar,Server Station and Kitchen. The Service Bar, Server Station and Kitchen additions were located in new construction North of the Depot and were connected to the Northern walls of the Depot. On the Southeast side of the Service Bar there is a window which is angled at 45 degrees back toward the Depot. The reason for this is we wanted the Historic Depot’s corner to be seen and read and not covered by an abutting new wall to the Depot. The equipment specified for the Main Bar, Service Bar. Server’s Station, and Kitchen (cooking line, ovens, holding ovens, fryers, warm and cold holding drawers, Salamander, plate warmers, salad crisper, roll warmer, food preparation areas, dish washing, pot and pan washing, walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer) were all considered state of the art at the time.
  • Negotiated with manufacturer’s who sold consumer products in the 1920’s and 1930’s that had their company names, logos, and product names on the sides of box cars during that time. The Federal Government ended that practice citing the larger companies had an unfair marketing advantage over their smaller competitors. The key factor was to identify consumer products that were selling then and that were still selling in the 1970’s. Many companies accepted our offer of providing the requisite artwork and paying our artist to apply/paint these advertisements. In exchange for free space as long as we owned the Capistrano Depot Restaurant. There were six advertisements/products displayed on Box Cars (Seven Up, Tootsie Roll Candy, Morton Salt – “When it rains, It pours,” Baby Ruth Candy Bars – “Otto Schneering, President,” Carnation Milk “from contented cows,” and Cracker Jacks). Two advertisements were painted on two walls of the Freight House/Main Bar (Chesterfield Cigarettes and Red Man Chewing Tobacco). And finally, a Coca-Cola Billboard was created on the exterior wall of the kitchen, along the walking platform where it meets the Depot, depicting a Railroad Engineer in the cab of a steam locomotive drinking a Coke, saying, “it’s the pause that refreshes.”
  • Negotiated with Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of “The Saturday Evening Post” magazine, the rights to reprint the cover and use as our menu cover. The December 7, 1946 magazine cover of “The Saturday Evening Post” featured a painting by Norman Rockwell. The cover depicts a young boy (Rockwell’s son) seated in a Dining Car (provided in Rockwell’s home town in upstate New York, so he could use it to create his painting), very disturbed and frustrated by the bill for his meal as he does not have enough money to pay for the meal. The bill is being presented to him by Jefferson Smith, a career Dining Car Waiter on the New York Central Railway System.
  • Had a Grand Opening that brought news crews via Amtrak from Los Angeles Television Stations, KCBS, Channel 2; KNBC, Channel 4; KTLA, Channel 5; KABC, Channel 7; and KTTV, Channel 11 to the Capistrano Depot. Included among the guests was Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, George Foreman (an exceptionally nice man, by the way) and several Hollywood “B” Celebrities.
  • Negotiated the initiation of Amtrak Rail Passenger Service’s train the Pacific Surfliner. In 1974 two daily trains were transferred from San Clemente, CA to San Juan Capistrano, namely the Northbound 6:15 AM train to Los Angeles and the Southbound 8:30 PM train to San Diego. After a few months, Amtrak reported the San Juan Capistrano stops were doing over four times the business the stops had been doing in San Clemente. Shortly thereafter, Amtrak representatives came to the Capistrano Depot inquiring about space to have an Amtrak Ticket Office. We had a gift shop in the two Box Cars that were opposite the Caboose where the walking platform and the parking lot met. The two Box Cars were adjacent to the main line/railroad right of way. They felt the space was ideal and we leased the space to Amtrak for a extremely nominal annual rent. After the Amtrak Ticket Office was up and running the number of Amtrak train stops kept growing until there are now 126 trains a week stopping at the Capistrano Depot. The Amtrak ticket office has been in the same location for over 46 years. In the years that have followed, MetroLink was created and all of their trains (74 per week) also stop at the Capistrano Depot. For a grand total today of 200 weekly stops.
  • Until approximately 1980 our kitchen crew would make sandwiches every evening and put them on our china for the Amtrak Crews (Engineers, Brakemen, and Conductors) and our staff would run them out to the engine and the passenger cars on last Southbound train during the dinner hours. The next morning on the first Northbound train returning to Los Angeles, the Amtrak Crew would leave the china next to the gate to our patio.
  • It should also be noted, in the State of California, fourth graders are introduced to and have an entire study block on the California Missions. When we first arrived in San Juan Capistrano, 4th grade classes would come by the bus load to visit Mission San Juan Capistrano and you would see a multitude of yellow school buses wrapped around the Mission and all over town. With the initiation of Amtrak Train stops and now MetroLink train stops, the 4th graders are not only visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano, many of them are experiencing their very first train ride.
  • Brought the American Freedom Train to San Juan Capistrano. Larry Wines wrote, “The American Freedom Train (AFT) was a 26-car train led by an enormous… ” Southern Pacific 4449, a 4-8-4 …”steam engine,”… removed from a park in Portland, Oregon and completely refurbished and …”restored just for the occasion. Over a 21 month period from April 1, 1975 to December 31, 1976 more than 7 million Americans visited the train during its tour of all 48 contiguous states. Tens of millions more stood track-side to see it go by. It was by far the greatest event on rails since the end of the steam era, and the uniquely magnificent vehicle that brought America’s Bicentennial celebration to the people.” It pulled 26 New York Central Baggage Cars which had been refurbished, their wide side doors were sealed off, and there were display cases on both sides of the interior of the Baggage Cars with wide aisles. These display cases contained Americana Memorabilia from Science, Sports, Agriculture, the Arts, Space and just about every endeavor imaginable. It carried George Washington’s copy of the Constitution and Ben Franklin’s copy of Declaration of Independence, a Moon Rock, NBA Player Bob Lanier’s size 28 Basketball Shoes and the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell also came to San Juan Capistrano in 1917 by train. The American Freedom Train was scheduled for a 5 day stay at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, January 9-13, 1976 and then would travel south and pass directly by the Capistrano Depot on its way to a 5 day stay at Mira Mar Naval Air Station in San Diego, January 14-19, 1976. It would again pass directly by the Capistrano Depot when it left San Diego. Once I heard the schedule, I called the American Freedom Train Foundation and asked, “Why aren’t you stopping in San Juan Capistrano?” Their reply was. “Well why would we?” And the answer was, “Because Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776.” That changed everything and San Juan Capistrano was added to the schedule and The American Freedom Train was parked for 2 days on a siding directly across from the Depot and the SJC Historical Society’s current location. You have never heard a sound like that of a steam locomotive rolling across the Capistrano Valley, huffing and puffing, and that steam whistle blowing.
  • Notable Side Tracks
    • Hosted President Richard M. Nixon, Pat Nixon, David and Julie Eisenhower, Edward and Tricia Cox, and the President’s mother on several occasions for dinner. The President and Mrs. Nixon dined with us on a regular basis as did David and Julie Eisenhower. As well as countless very high profile members of politics, business, entertainment and professional sports such as Don Baylor, California Angel and American League MVP; and All Time Great Female Tennis Player Martina Navratilova and entertainment, such as Harriet Nelson, of Ozzie and Harriet and mother of rock star Rick Nelson and grandmother of actress, Tracy Nelson; Ross Martin from the television series “The Wild, Wild West,” comic actress and singer Martha Raye and Mr. Whipple, the “Squeeze the Charmin” Bathroom Tissue man. Who all were “regulars” at the Capistrano Depot. As well countless well known others who were also easily recognizable and frequented the Capistrano Depot on a regular basis.
    • Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band came into the bar one evening and the band that was entertaining asked him if he would like to sit in and play. He said, “Yes, I’d love to,” and played for three hours straight.
    • Hosted Governor Jerry Brown on the occasion of the State of California assisting in the funding of additional Amtrak Trains.
    • In 1981 hosted a wrap party for Scruples, a made for television movie starring Lindsay Wagner, Barry Bostwick, Marie France-Pisier, Efram Zibalist, Jr., and Connie Stevens, and the entire cast and crew. They traveled round trip on the Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles. We closed the Dining Room and Bar to the public at 4:00PM; rented a Roulette Wheel, Craps Table, Several Black Jack Tables and a Wheel of Fortune for their ‘Vegas Night” theme. Placed all of the gaming tables in the Board Room and the cast and crew had a marvelous time.
    • Actor and father on the television series “Family Ties,” Michael Gross had his wedding and wedding reception at the Capistrano Depot. The wedding party arrived on Amtrak and when the the reception concluded, the Bride and Groom departed on a private car (circa 1940 with an observation platform on the rear end of the car) coupled to the rear of the Amtrak train, and the newly weds waived good bye to their wedding guests as the train departed.
    • Lunch and Brunch waitress, Becky Meyer was on an AirCal flight from Orange County to Tahoe and her seat mates were David DeSoto and his wife. Mrs. DeSoto was nervous and so was Becky and she shared her bagged lunch with Becky. There was an advertisement in the AirCal Magazine for the Depot. Becky said, “That is where I work and you should come see me.” Then she told Becky her husband was the traffic guy in the helicopter for KMPC-AM, 710 Radio in Los Angeles. After that trip Becky was working back at the Depot, and the next thing she knew, Pete Tyson (co-owner of the Depot) informing me KMPC radio called and they are taking the train down from LA for Swallow’s Day and they want Rebecca to wait on them for dinner and broadcast with them from Mission San Juan Capistrano. Becky had never worked a Dinner before, just Lunch and Brunch on Sundays. They kept saying on the radio that they were coming down to see Rebecca at the Capistrano Depot. Well they arrived and Becky served them dinner and then took them to the Swallow’s Inn, the infamous Cowboy Bar in San Juan Capistrano. They had way too much to drink, but nonetheless went on to the Mission to do the live radio broadcast.
    • Swallow’s Day, March 17th every year is the local celebration marking the Swallow’s annual return to Mission San Juan Capistrano. Although, I must say, I absolutely did not look forward to Swallow’s Day. The city was full of thousands and thousands of people and it really had become the party weekend of the year in San Juan Capistrano. We hired our U. S. Marine friends from Camp Pendleton to work the doors, controlling the crowds, checking ID’s and having anyone who wore six guns, check ’em at the door. In fact we paid the Marines $5 per hour cash, and any and everything they wanted to eat or drink. We had to use plastic glasses for safety and to avoid theft of the glassware. Additional entertainment was necessary on Parade Day with 2 bands, one from 2 until 7 and one from 8 until 1:30. We did huge bar numbers on that day, which was great, but once we backed out all of the additional expenses, it was a typical Saturday. Except this one was always under duress.
    • We had wonderful live Dixieland Jazz every Sunday afternoon and it was usually standing room only. Not only great Dixieland Music but our guests were some the very best dancers. They would dance all afternoon; The Charleston, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Jive, The Big Apple and The West Coast Swing. Among those in attendance quite frequently was Tex Beneke, the Leader of the Glen Miller Orchestra, vocalist (“The Chattanooga Choo Choo”), and Saxophonist. Tex lived in Laguna Beach and loved Dixieland Music. He would sit in the Pullman Car and listen. Every time he was in attendance, the band would ask him to sit in and he would decline.
    • Every year the Navy Chaplin’s would have their Annual Christmas Dinner at the Capistrano Depot. Approximately 130 Naval Officers all Catholic Priests, Jewish Rabbis, and Protestant Ministers from Long Beach to San Diego would descend on the Capistrano Depot. This became an annual event that was extremely fulfilling and a lot of fun as well. You should have heard the jokes they all told to the group after their dinner. Hilarious!
    • During the Del Mar Thoroughbred Racetrack’s meet in the summer, The Capistrano Depot would create group and individual trips to the race track by selling an admission ticket to the track, a reserved seat in the clubhouse combined with a round trip Amtrak Pacific Surfliner ticket. We had and Opening Day on Wednesday and a trip every Sunday during the meet. The Main Bar would open at 6:00 AM and we would serve Bloody Marys, Ramus Fizzes, and Screwdrivers. When the race fans returned that evening, those who did not fare so well at the ticket window would go to their cars and drive home. Those that won, would come would come into the Depot and enjoy the entertainment and buy rounds of drinks.
  • The Advertising Strategy
    • We employed an extremely uncommon and unheard of advertising strategy to launch the Capistrano Depot Restaurant. Although we did place small advertisements in AirCal Magazine, Orange County Illustrated and the Yellow Pages under the classifications for Weddings, Private Parties and Banquets, that was the extent of all of our print advertising. We took a different non-traditional approach. We had coffee mugs made with a pen and ink drawing on them of the old Depot Building with the language of “The Capistrano Depot, Since 1895,” printed on them. Our advertising and marketing strategy was to allow our guests to “steal” these coffee mugs and they did just that, and, evidently, extremely well. To the point that in a year and two Months we went through 160 gross of them. The cost was approximately $48,000 but was very inexpensive compared to electronic and print media that goes away immediately and these coffee cups were in automobiles, homes and offices for quite sometime and apparently did very well for us. We also sold Capistrano Depot Playing Cards and Large Wood Boxed Kitchen Matches, and a custom cocktail glass we used for a beverage we created called “The Gandy Dancer.” And, after 14 months, ultimately our Capistrano Depot Coffee Mugs as well.
    • The Capistrano Depot was named the focal point of the City’s Redevelopment Plans. The Historic Depot Redevelopment District was the vehicle by which the City of San Juan Capistrano solicited revenue bonds for the City’s Redevelopment Agency.
  • Provided employment to several hundred staff for over 15 years and served as a source of tax revenue to the City of San Juan Capistrano.
  • Publications
    • “Recycling Historic Railroad Stations: A Citizen’s Manual.” United States Department of Transportation, November, 1978.
    • “Recycling Historic Railroad Stations: A Technical Supplement to the Citizen’s Manual,” United States Department of Transportation, November, 1978.
    • The United States Department of Transportation selected only eight recycled railroad stations out of hundreds in the United States and selected The Capistrano Depot as one of these for its historic preservation and highlighted it in these two publications. The primary focus of these two publications was “ . . . . . to evaluate historic railroad stations which have been preserved and adapted for new uses.”
  • Countless magazine and newspaper articles and a number of television features by television stations from Los Angeles and San Diego.
  • Countless advertisements (local, regional and national), brochures, and catalogs using the Capistrano Depot and its rail cars as background for their advertisements and commercials.
  • Countless fashion photo shoots were done in, around and outside the Capistrano Depot and the adjoining rail cars.
  • Countless high school graduation and high school prom photographs outside the Depot and the adjoining rail cars.
  • Architect
    • Rolly Pulaski Associates, Newport Beach, California
      • Architectural Project Manager: John Loomis (now a principle in 30th Street Architects, Newport Beach)
      • Project Job Captain: Jim Dietze
      • Team Member: Jim Wilson (now a principle with John Loomis in 30th Street Architects, Newport Beach)
  • Structural Engineer
    • Robert Lawson, Laguna Beach, California
  • Kitchen and Bar Design and Interior Design
    • Geoffrey S, Beckham Design, Costa Mesa, California
  • Uniforms, Design and Manufacturing – Waitress Uniforms and Aprons and Hostess Uniforms and Waiter and Bartender Aprons
    • Julie Beckham, Laguna Beach, California
  • Developers/Restorers/Builders/Owners/Operators and Brothers
    • Jim Tyson, San Clemente, California
    • Pete Tyson, Irvine, California
  • “The Dream Completed and The Vision Fulfilled”
    • The Capistrano Depot: An extremely unique and beautifully restored establishment which served excellent food, great drinks, and provided truly exceptional service, and truly exceptional entertainment. Our wonderful crew made everything happen and everything possible. We thank them with complete and total acknowledgment and appreciation for their professionalism. We featured exceptional entertainment seven nights a week and Dixieland Jazz on Sunday afternoons. The Capistrano Depot was an extremely fun, enjoyable and memorable place for folks from all walks of life to meet, dine, drink and be entertained. And, of course The Capistrano Depot fostered and reestablished rail passenger service to San Juan Capistrano. The Capistrano Depot is now the Rail Passenger Hub of Southern Orange County. Today, Amtrak’s “The Pacific Surfliner” makes 126 train stops a week and MetroLink makes 74 train stops a week. All tolled, there are now 200 stops a week in San Juan Capistrano. And, as a direct result of our efforts, we have provided the public not only a beautifully restored and constructed Depot, Freight House, Parking Lot and overall project, but also rail passenger service from San Juan Capistrano to any destination in the nation served by Amtrak.