How the Railroad Created Modern Hartz Avenue

Today, Hartz Avenue is the heart of downtown Danville, lined with restaurants, shops, cafés, and historic buildings. But before the railroad arrived, it wasn’t the center of town.

That changed in 1891, when the Southern Pacific Railroad extended service into the San Ramon Valley and built a depot in Danville. The arrival of the railroad dramatically changed how people and goods moved through the community. Local farmers could ship crops in all kinds of weather, while residents gained much easier transportation in and out of town.

John Hartz Helped Shape the New Downtown

The new depot was built on land owned by John Hartz, who sold 8.65 acres to Southern Pacific and provided access to the station.

Once the railroad was in place, Hartz subdivided nearby land and began selling lots around the depot. That development became known as the Hartz Addition and helped pull commercial activity westward, away from the town’s older center along Front Street.

Within just a few years, Hartz Avenue had become Danville’s new central business district. Businesses including a bank, drug store, doctor’s office, saloon, and laundry began opening along the street.

Why the Railroad Changed Everything

Before the railroad, Front Street had been Danville’s main commercial area. But the depot became the new point where passengers, freight, and agricultural goods entered and left town.

That naturally made the streets surrounding the station more valuable for businesses.

The shift was so significant that even the Danville Hotel, which originally faced the railroad station, was eventually moved and reoriented to face Hartz Avenue in 1927.

The Depot Is Still Here

Danville’s original Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, built in 1891, has survived.

Today, the restored building at 205 Railroad Avenue houses the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, preserving the history of the same railroad that helped transform downtown Danville more than 130 years ago.

Many historic buildings around Hartz Avenue also remain, giving modern downtown Danville a direct connection to the period when the railroad reshaped the town.

From Railroad Stop to Downtown Danville

The railroad did more than make transportation easier. It effectively moved Danville’s commercial center.

The combination of Southern Pacific’s new station and John Hartz’s surrounding development turned Hartz Avenue into the center of business activity—and more than a century later, it remains one of Danville’s most recognizable streets.