Chappaqua station
Chappaqua | |||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||
Location | 108 Allen Place, Chappaqua, New York | ||||||||||
Line(s) | Harlem Line | ||||||||||
Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
Connections | Bee-Line: 19 | ||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||
Parking | 1,416 spaces | ||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Fare zone | 5 | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | June 1, 1847[1][2] | ||||||||||
Rebuilt | –June 14, 1902[3] 2007 | ||||||||||
Electrified | 1984 700V (DC) third rail | ||||||||||
Previous names | Chapequa | ||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||
2018 | 2,038[4] (Metro-North) | ||||||||||
Rank | 30 of 109[4] | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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Former services | |||||||||||
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Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza | |||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 79003210[5] | ||||||||||
Added to NRHP | April 19, 1979 |
Chappaqua station is a
Next to the modern station is the building opened by the New York Central Railroad in 1902.[7] Still in use as a waiting area, it is part of the Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.[8] It was built on land donated by the daughter of Horace Greeley, a prominent newspaper editor and presidential candidate who had moved to Chappaqua in the mid-19th century and been responsible for much of its early development, on the condition that a small park adjacent to the station be maintained.[9]
History
Chappaqua was first settled by
In 1846 the New York and Harlem Railroad laid the first tracks along the current route. That led to gradual changes in the economy and geography of Chappaqua. Farmers could now easily ship their crops to New York for sale, and many switched to growing cash crops to take advantage of this. A few businesses began to cluster around the original depot site, a few hundred feet north of the present station.[9] Three buildings were eventually built close to the station.[11]
The rail connection made it possible for those with social and commercial links to the city to maintain them, and some who had business there moved to Chappaqua. Among them was
His daughter Gabrielle inherited the farm. Over the remaining years of the 19th century more city residents followed her family's lead and moved out to Chappaqua. They often settled on farms that had been
Her offer was accepted, and the station was built there. It was completed and opened in 1902, amid much local celebration. Its completion triggered the development of most of modern downtown Chappaqua, and accelerated the suburbanization of the community, as Gabrielle Greeley continued to subdivide the remnants of the farm for development by others until her death in 1937. The small park, decorated with a statue of her father and war memorial in 1914, remained per the stipulation of her original gift.[12]
In the early 1970s the
In the early 2000s, 20 spaces in the station's lot were equipped with plug-in recharging stations for
The historic station building was converted into a restaurant, Chappaqua Station, in 2015, while retaining much of the station's original character.[15] As of 2019, the station is occupied by Bobo's Cafe.[16]
Station layout
The station has one eight-car-long high-level island platform serving trains in both directions.[17]: 12
Buildings and grounds
The station is located on the southwest corner of downtown Chappaqua, located in a low area amid hilly terrain just north of the
East of the station, across South Greeley Avenue, are commercial buildings north of Woodburn Avenue and
Woodburn Avenue west of South Greeley serves as the station's entrance road. Parking is in concentric semicircles, mirroring the small park just east of the station. A statue of Greeley and war memorial are located just across Allen Place from the historic station building on the east side of the tracks.[9] The entry stairs to the modern station are immediately to the south.[20]
The historic building is a one-story
A walkway and steps enclosed with glass and aluminum climb to a similarly treated overpass from both north and south, with an elevator in a brick shaft between them. In the overpass are ticket machines, on the west end of the overpass, another enclosed stairwell and another elevator in a brick shaft descend to the elevated concrete island platform between the tracks.[20]
The platform, long enough to accommodate eight cars, extends about 50 feet (15 m) to the south of the overpass. North of the overpass it continues to slightly north of the Quaker Road overpass. A roof covers the first hundred feet (30 m). Along its length are ornate metal streetlights, enclosed shelters, and some vending machines.[20]
The historic station was converted to a café in 2015. While the ticket counter closed, the cafe retains most of the station's original elements, including the waiting area benches and the original ticket counter, which serves as a check-out counter.
See also
- List of Metro-North Railroad stations
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York
Notes
- ^ Dana 1866, p. 216.
- ^ "New York and Harlem Railroad ---- Winter Arrangement". The Evening Post. New York, New York. December 12, 1849. p. 4. Retrieved December 12, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chappaqua's Gala Day". The New York Tribune. June 16, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved July 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b METRO-NORTH 2018 WEEKDAY STATION BOARDINGS. Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group:OPERATIONS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT:Metro-North Railroad. April 2019. p. 6.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Westchester County Listings". National Register of Historic Places.
- ^ "Chappaqua's Gala Day". New York Daily Tribune. June 16, 1902 – via I Ride the Harlem Line.com.
- ^ "People, Parks & Fire exhibit at the National Association for Interpretation Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia in November, 2002". National Register of Historic Places. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Gruber, Walter J.; Gruber, Dorothy W. (August 28, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ Weaver, Lynn Beebe (October 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Old Chappaqua Historic District". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "Chappaqua Railway Station Cut Off" (PDF). The New York Times. August 15, 1901. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ^ a b Gruber, Walter; Gruber, Dorothy (October 14, 1978). "Horace Greeley Related Sites Thematic Resources". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ a b Scharfenberg, David (January 9, 2005). "In Chappaqua, Shop Regains Its Toehold". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ^ Callahan, Tom (February 24, 2002). "Station Cars, Batteries And Parking Included". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ^ Connolly, Colette (February 2, 2016). "Business of the Week: Chappaqua Station, Chappaqua". The Examiner. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Wilbur, Martin (July 1, 2019). "Chappaqua Train Station Cafe Owners to Sell Operation". Examiner Media. The Examiner. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ Ossining Quadrangle — New York — Westchester Co (Map). 1:24,000. USGS 7½-minute quadrangles. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ a b Google (April 6, 2013). "Allen Pl" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c Microsoft; Nokia (April 6, 2013). "Chappaqua (Metro-North station)" (Map). Bing Maps. Microsoft. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ "Chappaqua Station Farm to Town Opens". What to Do Armonk, Bedford and Chappaqua. What To Do Media. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
References
- Dana, William B. (1866). The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Volume 55. New York, New York: William B. Dana. Retrieved December 12, 2019.