[3] On June 15, 1883, a "disastrous fire" destroyed San Mateo's Central block, located across the street from the station, but the original 1870s railroad depot itself was saved.

[16] Trains stopping at this station would block automobile traffic on major downtown streets, since the center boarding platform was between 3rd and 4th.

The fifth and current station is sited completely north of 1st Avenue, so vehicular and pedestrian traffic on nearby streets are no longer blocked by trains stopped at its platforms.

[18] The replacement, entitled "Good Life", was painted by Brian Barneclo, who also created one of the longest murals in San Francisco near the 4th and King station.

[19][20] Just north of the station are four steel rail bridges crossing (from south to north) Tilton, Monte Diablo, E. Santa Inez, and E. Poplar avenues, the earliest grade separations on the Southern Pacific Coast Line (between San Francisco and Gilroy) and among the earliest grade separations in the entire state.