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Woodlawn (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Encyclopedia
Woodlawn is the northern terminal
of the New York City Subway
's IRT Jerome Avenue Line
. Located at the intersection of Bainbridge and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of Woodlawn
, it is served by the 4
train at all times, providing service to the South Bronx
, the East Side
of Manhattan
and Brooklyn on lines originally built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company
(IRT).
The station was built in 1917 and opened the following year, from an Arts and Crafts design by the subway's chief architect, Squire J. Vickers. Its opening helped spur development of the area that had begun with the opening of nearby Woodlawn Cemetery
. Following renovations, in 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
for its use of ornamental
concrete. A public art
display of stained glass
called Children at Play was also installed.
just south of its oblique intersection with Bainbridge Avenue at that street's northern end. Woodlawn Cemetery is on the east side of the street, and its main entrance and gatehouse
are a block to the north of the station. A large wooded portion of Van Cortlandt Park
, including its golf course, on the other side buffers the cemetery, although it has been the site of a large construction project recently. The east side of Jerome to 213th Street is a mixture of small-scale commercial development and parking lots.
faced in ornamental concrete, with a large headhouse at the northern end.
Three large steel arches over Jerome Avenue support the mezzanine
level. The tracks above them are supported by through girder
s with four half-inch (0.5 inches (1.3 cm)) expansion joint
s at their intersection with the supporting members in order to mitigate stress to the concrete caused by vibrations from passing trains. Burlap
coated in coal tar
atop the girders provides a waterproof track floor.
The concrete surface of the platforms is smooth, in contrast to the rough bush-hammered
finish preferred elsewhere on the IRT Dual System stations. Corrugated metal windscreens are located along the length of the side platforms, which have also been enclosed in plywood. The west side has been partially enclosed to serve as station rooms. They are covered in steel frame canopies with truss
supports and wooden-slat gable
d roofs and lit by fluorescent fixtures.
At the south end the platforms are open and lit by modern double lampposts. Just south of the island platform's end is a pyramid-roofed original signal tower. There are other signal towers and service rooms, faced in corrugated metal, south of the other platforms. A flagman's structure is beneath the north end of the island platform canopy.
Two cubical concrete stair towers with corner piers are at either end of the head-house, the station's north end. The towers' side elevations. The symmetrical windows on the west end are original nine-light casement window
s; those on the east have been covered over or replaced. All are flanked with a narrow, wide-silled window similar to those on the north facade
. Piers are at the corners. Murals with patriotic themes have been painted on the sides. At the top, below the gently pitched
gable
d roof in standing-seam metal, is a polychrome
mosaic
frieze
above three recessed panels.
Between the towers is a two-story span. Its lower level, the mezzanine
, is faced in concrete and divided into three sections divided by square pilasters. All have a recessed triple casement window; that in the central portion is flanked by two similar double windows. Traffic lights are mounted on the west side and western portion of the central section below window level. At the top of each pilaster is a mosaic tile. A smooth metal strip runs across the top. Above it is an apparent second story, sided in the vertical plywood that shelters the platform. It is recessed slightly from the mezzanine, with its fenestration echoing that below.
metal portico
that echoes the station's roof-line. Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks can continue through.
Stairs lead up to the mezzanine, its interior faced in cream-colored brick. Fifteen stained glass
panels in the five windows, depicting children playing against swirling, colorful backgrounds, comprise a work called Children at Play by Josie Gonzalez Albright. There is a newsstand and restrooms here.
Three separate flights of stairs lead up to the platform. Here, there is a dispatcher's office and crew quarters in the tops of the stair towers. There is a turnstile
bank and MetroCard machines.
The station has two tracks, one center island platform
and two disused side platform
s extending south, ending a short distance north of 213th Street. The tracks end at bumper blocks at the north end of the platforms. The station was formerly set up as a Spanish solution
with alighting passengers using the side platforms and boarding passengers using the island platform in a style similar to the other Bronx IRT
terminals. Now all passengers use the island platform. There are old style signs on the center platform built from the ground up.
and Kingsbridge Armory to 161st Street – Yankee Stadium. It goes underground to cross the Harlem River
into Manhattan
, where it follows the Lexington Avenue Line
to 125th Street
in Harlem
, through the Upper East Side
, to Grand Central – 42nd Street in Midtown
. After stops in Murray Hill
, Gramercy Park
, the East Village
and Lower Manhattan
, it travels through Brooklyn
on the underground Eastern Parkway
and elevated New Lots
lines to terminate at either Crown Heights – Utica Avenue or New Lots Avenue, depending on the time of day.
There are several bus connections. Two local bus
lines, the Bx16 and Bx34 stop at the station. The former runs east-west generally, providing service to Norwood
and Eastchester
; the latter is a weekday route that goes north to East 242nd Street and south to Fordham
. The express
BxM4 to Midtown Manhattan
also makes a stop at Woodlawn. Connections further north, into Westchester County
, can be made via the Bee-Line
local routes 4 and 20, to Yonkers
and White Plains
respectively, with the 21 express route traversing the latter during rush hour.
Two commuter rail stations are within a mile (1.6 km) of the station. The Woodlawn
station on Metro-North
's Harlem Line
is on the opposite corner of the cemetery and can be reached by walking across it when the cemetery is open. To the southeast, along Gun Hill Road, is the Williams Bridge Metro-North station
on the same line. Both offer service north into eastern Westchester, Putnam
and Dutchess
counties. A few stops to the south, at Fordham
, it is possible to transfer to trains on the New Haven Line for southeastern Connecticut
.
The station is a half-mile (500 m) south of Exit 13 on the Major Deegan Expressway
(Interstate 87
). Another limited-access road, the Bronx River Parkway
, is located on the other side of the cemetery, with exits at both Gun Hill and East 233rd Street
providing access to the neighborhood. Parking is available in the paid private lots nearby or for free along the sides of Jerome north of the station. To the north of the city the Deegan becomes the New York State Thruway
, providing access to Rockland County
and upstate
, while the parkway enters Mount Vernon
.
station on what is now Metro-North Railroad
's Harlem Line
. At that time, like much of the western Bronx, it was still rural and heavily farmed. Residential development didn't start until after the opening of the cemetery in 1865. As a rural cemetery
, at the time of its opening, it was as much a park as a burial ground, a popular place to visit for strolls and picnics. By the 1890s the surrounding neighborhood was well-populated with working-class Irish
and Italian
immigrants
.
Those residents had regularly been lobbying for a subway connection. They got it when the Interborough Rapid Transit Company
(IRT) expanded via the Dual Contracts, creating the Jerome Avenue
, Pelham
and White Plains Road
lines. These opened many areas of the Bronx to residential development, making them desirable places for commuters to live.
Vickers, chief architect for the subway system, designed the station in 1917. The use of ornamental concrete was in keeping with his dictum that, in any location where an elevated subway line intersected a major boulevard or was close to a scenic asset such as a parkway, it should be sheathed in it. As a result, it serves as a visual focal point for the area and connects the commercial areas on either side of the street. Its interior is also decorated with the ceramic tilework
that characterizes many of his stations above and below ground.
The station opened on April 15, 1918. It was named after Woodlawn Road, the former name of Bainbridge Avenue, but is most often associated with Woodlawn Cemetery
, whose main entrance is just up the street. Woodlawn Road was renamed years ago, but the old name persists to this day on some signs.
Woodlawn became even more densely populated after the station opened. The cemetery, which had lobbied for a stop nearby, benefited as well. It opened a sales office to deal with the demand for burial plots. The subway's connection to Harlem
led to many Harlem Renaissance
figures such as Duke Ellington
and W. C. Handy
being buried at Woodlawn.
The 1991 death of John McNalley at the station triggered an investigation into whether it could have been prevented. McNalley, in his 50s, had been reported as having difficulties as the train passed the Burnside Avenue
station, six stops south. The train continued north; transit police
were notified of the situation at Fordham Road
. By the time paramedic
s were able to reach McNalley he had died from cardiac arrest
. Transit police officers claimed that their calls to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
command center urging the train to be stopped were ignored. Their union president called for police to be given the authority to order a train stopped in an emergency.
In the mid-2000s the station was renovated, as were others on the line. The second story was added above the mezzanine. Inside, the newsstand was restored. At that time Albright's work was installed in two stages.
Albright, a Queens College graduate and city native who has been commissioned to do several public art
works in the city, is primarily a painter and mural
ist who focuses on everyday members of the community. Children at Play was her first work in glass, and she spent time at a Philadelphia glass fabricator to understand the process. She took much of her inspiration from watching her son and his friends play, and also visited the station's vicinity extensively.
From June 8, 2009 to June 26, 2009, four morning rush-hour trains operated express in the southbound direction in a pilot program by New York City Transit, stopping at Mosholu Parkway
, Burnside Avenue
and 149th Street – Grand Concourse before resuming the normal express route at 125th Street
.
From October 26, 2009 to December 11, 2009, a second pilot program had five southbound 4 trains running express in the AM rush hour.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
's IRT Jerome Avenue Line
IRT Jerome Avenue Line
The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is a New York City Subway Line along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. It was opened on June 2, 1917 as a shuttle service between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street. This was in advance of through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue...
. Located at the intersection of Bainbridge and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of Woodlawn
Woodlawn, Bronx
Woodlawn is a neighborhood at the very north end of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Unlike some neighborhoods in New York City, its boundaries are fairly well-defined, as it is bounded by McLean Avenue to the north, which is approximately the New York City / Westchester County line, the...
, it is served by the 4
4 (New York City Subway service)
The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
train at all times, providing service to the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
, the East Side
East Side (Manhattan)
The East Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the East River and faces Brooklyn and Queens. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the West Side....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and Brooklyn on lines originally built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
(IRT).
The station was built in 1917 and opened the following year, from an Arts and Crafts design by the subway's chief architect, Squire J. Vickers. Its opening helped spur development of the area that had begun with the opening of nearby Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
. Following renovations, in 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
for its use of ornamental
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
concrete. A public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
display of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
called Children at Play was also installed.
Structure
The station is located above Jerome AvenueJerome Avenue
Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is 5.6 miles long and stretches from Highbridge general area to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which runs parallel to the west. Most...
just south of its oblique intersection with Bainbridge Avenue at that street's northern end. Woodlawn Cemetery is on the east side of the street, and its main entrance and gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
are a block to the north of the station. A large wooded portion of Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the fourth largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park, Flushing Meadows Park and Staten Island Greenbelt....
, including its golf course, on the other side buffers the cemetery, although it has been the site of a large construction project recently. The east side of Jerome to 213th Street is a mixture of small-scale commercial development and parking lots.
Exterior
Woodlawn is built of steel frameSteel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
faced in ornamental concrete, with a large headhouse at the northern end.
Three large steel arches over Jerome Avenue support the mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
level. The tracks above them are supported by through girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
s with four half-inch (0.5 inches (1.3 cm)) expansion joint
Expansion joint
An expansion joint or movement joint is an assembly designed to safely absorb the heat-induced expansion and contraction of various construction materials, to absorb vibration, to hold certain parts together, or to allow movement due to ground settlement or earthquakes...
s at their intersection with the supporting members in order to mitigate stress to the concrete caused by vibrations from passing trains. Burlap
Burlap
Hessian , or burlap in the US, is a woven fabric usually made from skin of the jute plant or sisal fibres, or may be combined with other vegetable fibres to make rope, nets, and similar products...
coated in coal tar
Coal tar
Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas...
atop the girders provides a waterproof track floor.
The concrete surface of the platforms is smooth, in contrast to the rough bush-hammered
Bush hammer
A bush hammer is a masonry tool used to texturize stone and concrete. Bush hammers exist in many forms, from simple hand-held hammers to large electric machines, but the basic functional property of the tool is always the same - a grid of conical or pyramidal points at the end of a large metal slug...
finish preferred elsewhere on the IRT Dual System stations. Corrugated metal windscreens are located along the length of the side platforms, which have also been enclosed in plywood. The west side has been partially enclosed to serve as station rooms. They are covered in steel frame canopies with truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
supports and wooden-slat gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roofs and lit by fluorescent fixtures.
At the south end the platforms are open and lit by modern double lampposts. Just south of the island platform's end is a pyramid-roofed original signal tower. There are other signal towers and service rooms, faced in corrugated metal, south of the other platforms. A flagman's structure is beneath the north end of the island platform canopy.
Two cubical concrete stair towers with corner piers are at either end of the head-house, the station's north end. The towers' side elevations. The symmetrical windows on the west end are original nine-light casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s; those on the east have been covered over or replaced. All are flanked with a narrow, wide-silled window similar to those on the north facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. Piers are at the corners. Murals with patriotic themes have been painted on the sides. At the top, below the gently pitched
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof in standing-seam metal, is a polychrome
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
above three recessed panels.
Between the towers is a two-story span. Its lower level, the mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
, is faced in concrete and divided into three sections divided by square pilasters. All have a recessed triple casement window; that in the central portion is flanked by two similar double windows. Traffic lights are mounted on the west side and western portion of the central section below window level. At the top of each pilaster is a mosaic tile. A smooth metal strip runs across the top. Above it is an apparent second story, sided in the vertical plywood that shelters the platform. It is recessed slightly from the mezzanine, with its fenestration echoing that below.
Interior
The entrances are at the base of the stair towers. They are openings sheltered by a bracketedBracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
metal portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
that echoes the station's roof-line. Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks can continue through.
Stairs lead up to the mezzanine, its interior faced in cream-colored brick. Fifteen stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
panels in the five windows, depicting children playing against swirling, colorful backgrounds, comprise a work called Children at Play by Josie Gonzalez Albright. There is a newsstand and restrooms here.
Three separate flights of stairs lead up to the platform. Here, there is a dispatcher's office and crew quarters in the tops of the stair towers. There is a turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
bank and MetroCard machines.
The station has two tracks, one center island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
and two disused side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s extending south, ending a short distance north of 213th Street. The tracks end at bumper blocks at the north end of the platforms. The station was formerly set up as a Spanish solution
Spanish solution
The Spanish solution is a method of using two railway platforms, one on each side of the track, in order to speed up boarding and alighting from trains. Alighting passengers get off the train on one side and boarding passengers get on from the other...
with alighting passengers using the side platforms and boarding passengers using the island platform in a style similar to the other Bronx IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
terminals. Now all passengers use the island platform. There are old style signs on the center platform built from the ground up.
Services and connections
From Woodlawn, the 4 train goes south along tracks above Jerome past Lehman CollegeLehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
and Kingsbridge Armory to 161st Street – Yankee Stadium. It goes underground to cross the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
into Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, where it follows the Lexington Avenue Line
IRT Lexington Avenue Line
The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
to 125th Street
125th Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
125th Street is an express station that has four tracks and two island platforms. It is the northernmost Manhattan station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street 125th Street is an express station that has four tracks and two...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, through the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
, to Grand Central – 42nd Street in Midtown
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. After stops in Murray Hill
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a Midtown Manhattan neighborhood in New York City, USA. Around 1987 many real estate promoters of the neighborhood and newer residents described the boundaries as within East 34th Street, East 42nd Street, Madison Avenue, and the East River; in 1999, Frank P...
, Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
, the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
and Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, it travels through Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
on the underground Eastern Parkway
IRT Eastern Parkway Line
IRT Eastern Parkway Line and New Lots Line can refer to:* IRT Eastern Parkway Line* IRT New Lots Line...
and elevated New Lots
IRT New Lots Line
The New Lots Line or Livonia Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, consisting of an elevated structure that begins just east of Crown Heights – Utica Avenue, and continuing to New Lots Avenue in New Lots, Brooklyn.The line includes an unused trackway in...
lines to terminate at either Crown Heights – Utica Avenue or New Lots Avenue, depending on the time of day.
There are several bus connections. Two local bus
New York City Transit buses
New York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
lines, the Bx16 and Bx34 stop at the station. The former runs east-west generally, providing service to Norwood
Norwood, Bronx
Norwood is a working class residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City. As of the census of 2000, the seven census tracts that make up the neighborhood have a population of 40,748...
and Eastchester
Eastchester, Bronx
Eastchester is a working class neighborhood in the northeast Bronx borough of New York City in the United States. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 12...
; the latter is a weekday route that goes north to East 242nd Street and south to Fordham
Fordham, Bronx
Fordham is a neighborhood of New York City, United States, located in the West Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 5. It is bordered by Fordham Road to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 183rd Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west...
. The express
MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
BxM4 to Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
also makes a stop at Woodlawn. Connections further north, into Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, can be made via the Bee-Line
Bee-Line Bus System
The Bee-Line Bus System, branded on the buses in lowercase as the bee-line system, is a bus system serving Westchester County, New York. The system is owned by the County's Department of Public Works and Transportation and operated, on contract , by Yonkers-based Liberty Lines Transit, Inc...
local routes 4 and 20, to Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
and White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
respectively, with the 21 express route traversing the latter during rush hour.
Two commuter rail stations are within a mile (1.6 km) of the station. The Woodlawn
Woodlawn (Metro-North station)
The Woodlawn Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Woodlawn section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 11.8 miles from Grand Central Terminal and is located on East 233rd Street, three blocks from the 233rd Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York...
station on Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
's Harlem Line
Harlem Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County...
is on the opposite corner of the cemetery and can be reached by walking across it when the cemetery is open. To the southeast, along Gun Hill Road, is the Williams Bridge Metro-North station
Williams Bridge (Metro-North station)
The Williams Bridge Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 10.5 miles from Grand Central Terminal and is located at the intersection of Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue. Service at Williams Bridge is hourly...
on the same line. Both offer service north into eastern Westchester, Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
and Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
counties. A few stops to the south, at Fordham
Fordham (Metro-North station)
The Fordham Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York via the Harlem Line and New Haven Line. It is the only Harlem Line stop in the Bronx that is an express station. It is 8.9 miles from Grand Central Terminal...
, it is possible to transfer to trains on the New Haven Line for southeastern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
The station is a half-mile (500 m) south of Exit 13 on the Major Deegan Expressway
Major Deegan Expressway
The Major Deegan Expressway is a north–south expressway in the New York City borough of the Bronx...
(Interstate 87
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
). Another limited-access road, the Bronx River Parkway
Bronx River Parkway
The Bronx River Parkway is a long parkway in downstate New York. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview...
, is located on the other side of the cemetery, with exits at both Gun Hill and East 233rd Street
East 233rd Street (Bronx)
East 233rd Street is one of the major thoroughfares of the Bronx. The road is 3 miles long and stretches from U.S. Route 1 in the Eastchester section of the Bronx to the Major Deegan Expressway in Woodlawn . The road changes names from East 233rd Street to Pinkley Avenue after the...
providing access to the neighborhood. Parking is available in the paid private lots nearby or for free along the sides of Jerome north of the station. To the north of the city the Deegan becomes the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
, providing access to Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
and upstate
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, while the parkway enters Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
.
History
In the 1840s, the Harlem Railroad made the first rail connection between Manhattan and what became the Woodlawn neighborhood, a connection that still exists via the WoodlawnWoodlawn (Metro-North station)
The Woodlawn Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Woodlawn section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 11.8 miles from Grand Central Terminal and is located on East 233rd Street, three blocks from the 233rd Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York...
station on what is now Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
's Harlem Line
Harlem Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County...
. At that time, like much of the western Bronx, it was still rural and heavily farmed. Residential development didn't start until after the opening of the cemetery in 1865. As a rural cemetery
Rural cemetery
The rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of burial ground that uses landscaping in a park-like setting.As early as 1711 the architect Sir Christopher Wren had advocated the creation of burial grounds on the outskirts of town, "inclosed with a strong Brick Wall, and having a walk round, and...
, at the time of its opening, it was as much a park as a burial ground, a popular place to visit for strolls and picnics. By the 1890s the surrounding neighborhood was well-populated with working-class Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
immigrants
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
.
Those residents had regularly been lobbying for a subway connection. They got it when the Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
(IRT) expanded via the Dual Contracts, creating the Jerome Avenue
IRT Jerome Avenue Line
The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is a New York City Subway Line along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. It was opened on June 2, 1917 as a shuttle service between Kingsbridge Road and 149th Street. This was in advance of through service to the IRT Lexington Avenue...
, Pelham
IRT Pelham Line
The IRT Pelham Line is a rapid transit line on the New York City Subway, served by the 6 and <6> trains. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1919. It is both elevated and underground, with Whitlock Avenue being the first elevated station...
and White Plains Road
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
lines. These opened many areas of the Bronx to residential development, making them desirable places for commuters to live.
Vickers, chief architect for the subway system, designed the station in 1917. The use of ornamental concrete was in keeping with his dictum that, in any location where an elevated subway line intersected a major boulevard or was close to a scenic asset such as a parkway, it should be sheathed in it. As a result, it serves as a visual focal point for the area and connects the commercial areas on either side of the street. Its interior is also decorated with the ceramic tilework
New York City subway tiles
Many New York City Subway stations are decorated with colorful ceramic plaques and tile mosaics. Of these, many take the form of signs, identifying the station's location. Much of this ceramic work was in place when the subway system originally opened on October 27, 1904...
that characterizes many of his stations above and below ground.
The station opened on April 15, 1918. It was named after Woodlawn Road, the former name of Bainbridge Avenue, but is most often associated with Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
, whose main entrance is just up the street. Woodlawn Road was renamed years ago, but the old name persists to this day on some signs.
Woodlawn became even more densely populated after the station opened. The cemetery, which had lobbied for a stop nearby, benefited as well. It opened a sales office to deal with the demand for burial plots. The subway's connection to Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
led to many Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
figures such as Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and W. C. Handy
W. C. Handy
William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....
being buried at Woodlawn.
The 1991 death of John McNalley at the station triggered an investigation into whether it could have been prevented. McNalley, in his 50s, had been reported as having difficulties as the train passed the Burnside Avenue
Burnside Avenue (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Burnside Avenue is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Burnside and Jerome Avenues in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times....
station, six stops south. The train continued north; transit police
New York City Transit Police
The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
were notified of the situation at Fordham Road
Fordham Road (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Fordham Road is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. It has old style signs painted over and covered up with new style signs, and features new...
. By the time paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s were able to reach McNalley he had died from cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
. Transit police officers claimed that their calls to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
command center urging the train to be stopped were ignored. Their union president called for police to be given the authority to order a train stopped in an emergency.
In the mid-2000s the station was renovated, as were others on the line. The second story was added above the mezzanine. Inside, the newsstand was restored. At that time Albright's work was installed in two stages.
Albright, a Queens College graduate and city native who has been commissioned to do several public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
works in the city, is primarily a painter and mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
ist who focuses on everyday members of the community. Children at Play was her first work in glass, and she spent time at a Philadelphia glass fabricator to understand the process. She took much of her inspiration from watching her son and his friends play, and also visited the station's vicinity extensively.
From June 8, 2009 to June 26, 2009, four morning rush-hour trains operated express in the southbound direction in a pilot program by New York City Transit, stopping at Mosholu Parkway
Mosholu Parkway (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Mosholu Parkway is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times....
, Burnside Avenue
Burnside Avenue (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
Burnside Avenue is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Burnside and Jerome Avenues in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times....
and 149th Street – Grand Concourse before resuming the normal express route at 125th Street
125th Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
125th Street is an express station that has four tracks and two island platforms. It is the northernmost Manhattan station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street 125th Street is an express station that has four tracks and two...
.
From October 26, 2009 to December 11, 2009, a second pilot program had five southbound 4 trains running express in the AM rush hour.
See also
- List of New York City Subway terminals
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bronx County, New York
External links
- Station Reporter — 4 Train
- The Subway Nut — Woodlawn Pictures
- MTA's Arts For Transit — Woodlawn Avenue (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)
- Bainbridge Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View