New Rochelle (Metro-North Station)
On October 14, 2009, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The NRHP listing is limited to the historic station building and just the land underneath its roofline, as the pedestrian bridge elevators, track and other associated structure is all much newer and lack historical merit. The building was built in 1887 for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. The architect of the building is unknown; it was built by George O. Hawes, a local builder. The building was remodeled in 1931.
History
On December 25, 1848 the first train steamed through New Rochelle, part of the New York and New Haven Railroad built in the early 1840s. At the time, New Rochelle was the final railroad station before entering New York City. A fatal head-on collision in New Rochelle in 1851 led to the construction of a second track in 1853. By 1869, six trains traveled between the two cities daily. NY&NH was consolidated into the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad a year later. In 1873, the railroad acquired the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad and linked it to the station. In 1884, the railroad drew up plans for its present brick structure which was constructed in 1887 to replace the original Gothic Revival structure that had stood just northeast of what is now North Avenue.
The 1½ story station is built of brick and has a gabled roof punctuated by a series of hipped dormers. A centered hexagonal dormer projects away from the building to allow views along the tracks. Its eaves overhang beyond the exterior walls of the building, and is supported by unadorned wood brackets. The interior of the 3,670 square feet (341 m) still retains many original features. By the start of the 20th century, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad had five tracks through New Rochelle. The population had surged to 15,000 inhabitants. A roundhouse for steam engines, tracks for passenger cars and a large freightyard near Cedar Street was built.
Over the years, New Rochelle became one of the busiest stations on the line. As it developed into a commuter town, local travel increased even more. The city obtained national fame in 1906 when George M. Cohan wrote the song entitled "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway". The average 36-minute train ride and 10-minute walk from Grand Central to Broadway places the station about 45 minutes away.
As with all New Haven Line stations in Westchester County, the station became a Penn Central station upon acquisition by Penn Central in 1969, and eventually became part of the MTA's Metro-North Railroad. On October 25, 1987, New Rochelle became eastern Westchester County's Amtrak station, replacing Rye, which served as the county's eastern Amtrak station since 1972. The station was fully renovated in 1990, and careful attention was placed on restoring it to its original historical accuracy. The waiting room is reflective of New Haven line stations, with plaster walls, a wood ceiling and wood wainscot sheathing. The original floor was probably wood, but was replaced sometime in the 1930s with Terrazzo. There are wood moldings around the doors, and crown moldings enhance the perimeter at the ceiling line.
During 2021, a limited number of Acela trains stopped at New Rochelle station on weekends.
Intermodal Transportation Center
An increase in Metro-North and Amtrak ridership late in the 20th century caused a demand for additional parking. In 1994, the city launched a plan to create a transportation center, including a parking structure with bus and taxi connections. The parking garage has a capacity in excess of 900 cars, which is two and a half times the on-site parking capacity prior to its construction. On the ground level of the structure is a bus terminal, complete with a waiting area and ticket office. The center was designed to be home to long-distance bus carriers such as the Trailways Transportation System, however they have since moved out of the Center, back to a stop two blocks away on Main Street. Routes on the Westchester Bee-Line are still served here. Several taxi companies operate from the structure, and Connecticut Limousine provides service to regional airports. The center was completed in 2001 and is in active use. The old station and the new transportation center have been blended together to meet the needs of the growing commuter population while at the same time preserving historical and architectural integrity of the 1887 station house.
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Bus entrance from North Avenue
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Bicycles and buses at the station.
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The intermodal center in the background of the old New Haven station house.
Station layout
The station has two high-level platforms. The north one is a nine-car-long side platform and the south one is an 8-car long island platform.
Bus list
The following bus routes serve the New Rochelle Transit Center area; the 60 local buses stop on Main Street and Church Street eastbound, and Huguenot Street and North Street westbound, south of the station.
Route | Stop location | Terminal(s) | Via | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bee-Line Bus | |||||
7
|
Platform C | to Yonkers Getty Square Riverdale Avenue |
Yonkers Avenue, Lincoln Avenue | ||
30
|
Platform B | to Yonkers Getty Square Riverdale Avenue |
Palmer Road, Pondfield Road, Webster Avenue | No Sunday service. | |
42
|
Platform B | to Wakefield, Bronx 233rd Street and White Plains Road at 233rd Street ( 2 5 trains) |
West First Street, Pelhamdale Avenue |
| |
45
|
Platform D | Pelham Bay Park, Bronx Bruckner Boulevard at Pelham Bay Park ( 6 <6> trains) |
Eastchester Mill Road and White Plains Road |
Pelham Road, North Avenue |
|
45Q
|
Platform D | New Rochelle Main Street and Church Avenue |
New Rochelle Pine Brook Boulevard and Stratton Road (Top of the Ridge) |
North Avenue, Pine Brook Boulevard | |
61
|
Platform D | Fordham Plaza Bus Terminal at East 189th Street and Third Avenue (southbound or Fordham Road and Third Avenue (northbound) |
Port Chester | Boston Post Road, Fifth Avenue, Halstead Avenue | U-Turns at NY-CT line |
62
|
Platform D | Fordham, Bronx (at Tiebout Avenue and Fordham Road near Fordham Road ( B D trains) |
White Plains TransCenter | Boston Post Road, New England Thruway, Westchester Avenue | Express to White Plains |
66
|
Platform C | to Dobbs Ferry at either Dobbs Ferry railroad station or Mercy College |
Ashford Avenue, Ardsley Road, Weaver Street, Palmer Avenue |
| |
91
|
Platform C | Yonkers Yonkers station |
Rye Playland | Yonkers Avenue, South Fulton Avenue, Sandford Boulevard, Pelhamdale Avenue, Boston Post Road, New England Thruway |
|
References
- ^ Jenkins 1912, p. 235.
- ^ "Special Express Notice". The Evening Post. New York, New York. February 12, 1849. p. 3. Retrieved December 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of New York" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Metro-North 2018 Weekday Station Boardings. Metro-North Railroad Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group. April 2019. p. 6.
- ^ "NRHP Announcements". October 23, 2009.
- ^ "(untitled; station information)". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Friedman, Jean; Krattinger, William & Shaver, Peter D. (August 10, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: New Rochelle Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2010. and "Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, undated". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ Leone, Anne Marie (2004). New Rochelle then and now: a photo history. Fountain Square Books.
- ^ New Rochelle: the first three centuries. compiled by New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce. New Rochelle, N.Y.: The Huguenot-Thomas Paine Historical Association. 1988.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Amtrak October 25, 1987 Schedule". Museum of Railway Timetables.
- ^ "Amtrak June 11, 1972 Schedule". Museum of Railway Timetables.
- ^ Davis, Barbara (1988). New Rochelle, New York: queen city of the Sound: a tricentennial celebration, 1688–1988. Polomar Press, Inc.
- ^ "Acela Express now stopping at New Rochelle, NY". YouTube. January 12, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Bus Station and Terminal Locations". Trailways of New York.
- ^ New Rochelle intermodal transportation center: draft environmental impact statement. White Plains, N.Y.: Allee, King, Rosen & Fleming, Inc. 2001.
- ^ "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
Bibliography
- Beacher, Melvin, Architect (February 2005). Interview regarding 1989 restoration.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hawes, George (January 1884). NY,·NH, & HRR Passenger Station Plans. New Rochelle, New York.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Stage JA Archaeological Survey of the Inter-modal Transportation Center. New Rochelle, New York: Historical Perspectives, Inc. 1999.
- Jenkins, Stephen (1912). The Story of the Bronx from the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day. New York, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Marchant, Robert (December 11, 1989). "Officials finishing restoration plans for the New Rochelle Train Station". Standard Star.
- Taylor, David L. (1998). Building-Structure Inventory Form: Metro North Railroad Station. New Rochelle, New York.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Wald, Matthew (July 23, 1989). "Resolving the Fate of New Rochelle's Station". New York Times.
- Wines, Roger (March 1, 1991). "Railroad Station Re-dedication". New Rochelle, New York.
External links
Media related to New Rochelle station at Wikimedia Commons
- Metro-North station page for New Rochelle
- List of upcoming Metro-North train departure times and track assignments from MTA
- New Rochelle Amtrak/Metro-North Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
- New Rochelle Station (The SubwayNut)
- New Rochelle Transportation Center (Downtown New Rochelle Business District)
- North Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View