Constructed for The San Francisco and San Mateo Railroad Company between 1901 and 1903, the two adjoining buildings served as the administrative center and as a source of power for the city's first electric railroad company.

The site is associated with a number of railroad companies which have served San Francisco: San Mateo and San Francisco Railway, the San Mateo and San Francisco Electric Railway, the United Railroads of San Francisco, the Market Street Railway, and the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI).

The Geneva Complex played an important role in labor history as the site of the Carmen's Strike of 1917, the impact of which is still evident in exterior modifications to the Office Building.

Architecturally, the buildings embody characteristics of both the Romanesque and Queen Anne Styles.

In a city where brick is no longer a predominant building material, the Geneva Complex is a good example of the use of brick to convey architectural detailing prior to the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 2010.

The Geneva Car Barn is also San Francisco Historic Landmark 180.