Pony Express Terminal

The Pony Express Terminal, also known as the B. F. Hastings Bank Building, is a historic commercial building at 1000 2nd Street in Sacramento, California. Built in 1852, it was the western endpoint of the Pony Express from 1860 to 1861, the period of the service's operation. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[2][3] It now houses a museum dedicated to the history of Wells Fargo, and is part of Old Sacramento State Historic Park, itself a National Historic Landmark District.

Pony Express Terminal
B. F. Hastings Bank Building
Location1000 2nd St., Sacramento, California
Coordinates38°34′59″N 121°30′11″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1852 (1852)
Part ofOld Sacramento Historic District (ID66000219)
NRHP reference No.66000220
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHLJuly 4, 1961[2]
Designated CPJanuary 12, 1965

Description

The B.F. Hastings Bank Building is located in Sacramento's historic downtown area, at the southwest corner of 2nd and J Streets. It is an architecturally undistinguished two-story brick structure, presenting four bays to J Street and nine to 2nd Street. A single-story canopy extends across the sidewalk in front of both facades, supported by simple square posts. A metal staircase rises in the middle of the 2nd Street facade to an entrance on the second floor.[3]

History

The building was constructed in 1852. When the Pony Express began service in 1860, this building was selected by its operators as the western terminus of the service, whose eastern end was in St. Joseph, Missouri, more than 1,800 miles (2,900 km) away.[3] The building was also the first location of the California Supreme Court.

The building is now home to one of two museums about the history of Wells Fargo in Sacramento. This location features a re-created 19th-century Wells Fargo Express Company office, artifacts of company history and the California Gold Rush era, and exhibits about the company's role in California Gold Rush commerce. (The other Wells Fargo History Museum in Sacramento is located in the Wells Fargo Center.)

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Pony Express Terminal". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  3. James Dillon (September 1975) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Pony Express Terminal (B. F. Hastings Building), National Park Service and Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, undated.
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