Bronx Park Terminal (IRT Third Avenue Line)

Bronx Park Terminal
Former New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address 198th Street near Southern Boulevard
(near today's Prep Field)
Bronx, New York
Borough The Bronx
Locale Bedford Park, Bronx Park
Coordinates 40°51′59″N 73°53′6″W / 40.86639°N 73.88500°W / 40.86639; -73.88500Coordinates: 40°51′59″N 73°53′6″W / 40.86639°N 73.88500°W / 40.86639; -73.88500
Services IRT Third Avenue Line
Botanical Gardens Spur (1920-1951)
Structure Elevated
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 3
Other information
Opened May 21, 1902 (May 21, 1902)
Closed November 14, 1951 (November 14, 1951)
Station succession
Next north Terminus
Next south Fordham Road – 190th Street

Bronx Park Terminal was a terminal station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in The Bronx. The station was located adjacent to Bronx Park and the New York Botanical Garden at 198th Street between Webster Avenue and Southern Boulevard, in the approximate location of the modern Fordham Preparatory School.[1][2][3] It was opened on May 21, 1902[1] and closed on November 14, 1951.[4] The next southbound stop was Fordham Road – 190th Street.[2]

History

The station was built as a one stop extension from Fordham Road – 190th Street (then called Pelham Avneue) to provide direct service to Bronx Park, particularly the New York Botanical Garden. It was located on a 2,200 x 50 foot tract of land on the western edge of the campus of St. John's College (now the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University), purchased from the college by the Manhattan Railway Company.[1][5][6] This characteristic was shared with much of Bronx Park, particularly the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden which were also built on former Fordham property.[7]

The station was the northern terminal for all Third Avenue Line trains until an extension north of Fordham Road on a separate right-of-way along Webster Avenue to Gun Hill Road was completed on October 4, 1920, which included a station at nearby 200th Street (now Bedford Park Boulevard).[8] Due to reduced patronage at the station, beginning in 1948 no service ran to or from Bronx Park between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.[9] The station was closed entirely in 1951, and the entire structure was demolished by 1952. Afterwards, the right-of-way of the stub line was re-purchased by Fordham University for $55,000.[10]

Station layout

The station had three tracks, the easternmost two of which were served by one island platform. The westernmost track had no platform and was used for storage. Following the extension of the line on Webster Avenue, Bronx Park became a stub-end station separate from the mainline. During this time, trains from Fordham Road either terminated at Bronx Park, or bypassed the station towards Gun Hill Road.[2][8]

The station had a wide, covered wooden bridge across the tracks of the New York Central Railroad's New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Harlem Line of the Metro-North Railroad), permitting access to Fordham University and the New York Botanical Garden at Southern Blvd to the east, and to the Bedford Park neighborhood to the west.[1][5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Harlem and the Bronx". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 19, 1902. p. 9. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "The 3rd Avenue Corridor". The Bronx Journal. March 27, 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Van Cortlandt Park / NY Botanical Garden" (PDF). Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York). 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  4. ↑ New York's El Lines 1867-1955 Electric Railroaders Assn Dec 1956, Bulletin #25
  5. 1 2 "Elevated Road Extension: Manhattan Company to Land Passengers in Bronx Park at the Botanical Gardens.". The New York Times. January 30, 1902. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Sparberg, Andrew J. (1 October 2014). "13". From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. pp. 111–116. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1.
  7. ↑ Osterhout, Jacob E. (November 13, 2009). "The Bronx Zoo turns 110: Here are 110 things you need to know about this NYC favorite". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Publiv Service Commission Fixes July 15 For Opening of the New Seventh and Lexington Avenue Subway Lines". The New York Times. May 19, 1918. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "'El' Station to Close at Night". The New York Times. November 10, 1948. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "City Auctions Two Plots: Property in Brooklyn and Bronx Is Sold for $155,000". The New York Times. June 28, 1952. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
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