138th Street station (New York Central Railroad)
138th Street | |||||||||||||||||||
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Bx33 | |||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | c. 1858 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | July 2, 1973[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1886, 1897, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | 700V (DC) third rail | ||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Mott Haven The Bronx | ||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||||||||||
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The 138th Street station was a station on the Harlem and Hudson Lines of the New York Central Railroad, serving the community of Mott Haven in the Bronx, New York City. It was the southernmost station along both branches until 1973. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad also ran through this station but did not stop here.
History
The
Robert Henderson Robertson, and was hailed as "the finest and most complete way station in the country". Originally at street level, the tracks were later raised above ground level as part of a grade elimination project in order to accommodate the 1897 version of the Park Avenue Bridge.[2]
A major grade elimination project in the Bronx north of the station also took place between 1888 and 1890.
Throughout most of the station's existence, it has been in relatively close proximity to mass transit. In 1887, the
Lexington Avenue Tunnel into the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Harlem
, and built a subway station beneath the vicinity of the railroad station. The subway station still exists.
During the
149th Street–Grand Concourse subway station complex direct commuters to this proposed station which was never built.[3] Only the tunnel to the station was built and was closed by the New York City Transit Authority
.
Declining ridership following World War II, along with the decline of the South Bronx led to the demolition of the previous structure in 1966, and the replacement with little more than sheltered platforms. As with other NYC stations in the Bronx, 138th Street became a
183rd Street stations in the South Bronx.[4]
The site of the station is today a location of a local community garden.
References
- ^ Mazza, Frank (June 7, 1973). "Penn C Will Ax 34 Runs; Curfew for Grand Central". New York Daily News. p. 5. Retrieved June 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "TO RAISE THE CENTRAL'S TRACKS.; The Park Avenue Improvement and the New Harlem Drawbridge" (PDF). The New York Times. April 24, 1893. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Subway Signs to Nowhere (Forgotten New York)
- ^ Hagstrom's Street Map of The Bronx; 1943 (War of Yesterday)