Yorktown Heights Railroad Station
Encyclopedia
Yorktown Heights Railroad Station is a former railroad station on the Putnam Line in Yorktown Heights
, New York, United States. It is a wooden building located on Commerce Street at the intersection of Underhill Avenue in Railroad Park.
The station was originally built in 1877 by the New York, Westchester and Putnam Railway along a line originally installed by the New York and Boston Railroad that is today a rail trail
. It is one of the only three left in Westchester County
, and one of only two in that scale and style. In 1981, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, the only property listed in the town.
, runs just to its south. It is paved in pink stone, with a connection to the base of the station.
The building itself is a small one-story frame
structure. It is sided
in board and batten
on the lower half of its facade
s and clapboard
above. A combination of vertical dividers between sections and a horizontal course
over the water table
give it a half-timber effect. The roof, with deep bracketed
overhangs, is both gable
d and hipped
, covered in shingles.
Bays
project on the west and south. The windows, currently boarded on the inside, have plain wood surrounds. A brick chimney rises on the north (rear).
Inside the building is divided into two spaces, a waiting room (including the ticket office) on the south and baggage room in the north. The former has floor-to-ceiling oak paneling, oak floors, benches, with deep brackets on the ticket room cornice
as well as the shelf at the window. A double Dutch door
leads to the baggage room, where a bathroom has been created by partitioning.
in 1894 when it took over the Old Put. In 1902 it acquired land and built a coach yard, an engine service facility. It was a site of the connection to the Mohansic Branch to Mohansic State Hospital
, now the site of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
, until 1917.
The station was closed in 1958, a year before passenger service was abandoned along the Putnam Line. Freight service was abandoned in 1962 between East Falls and Mahopac
. The town bought the station in 1966 as part of its urban renewal
efforts. Initially the plan was to relocate it for use as a bus station, but in 1975 that was changed. It remained on site and was restored
with the intent of using it as a museum and office of the local Chamber of Commerce
. As of today, it remains unused.
Yorktown Heights, New York
Yorktown Heights is a census-designated place in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Yorktown Heights is located at ....
, New York, United States. It is a wooden building located on Commerce Street at the intersection of Underhill Avenue in Railroad Park.
The station was originally built in 1877 by the New York, Westchester and Putnam Railway along a line originally installed by the New York and Boston Railroad that is today a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
. It is one of the only three left in 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...
, and one of only two in that scale and style. In 1981, 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...
, the only property listed in the town.
Building
The station is located in a small park in the center of Yorktown. The railroad's right-of-way, now the North County TrailwayNorth County Trailway
The North County Trailway is a paved bicycle and pedestrian path located primarily on right-of-way lands of the former Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. The Trailway runs , from the Putnam County border down to the Eastview section of southern Greenburgh, where it nears the South...
, runs just to its south. It is paved in pink stone, with a connection to the base of the station.
The building itself is a small one-story frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
structure. It is sided
Siding
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value....
in board and batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
on the lower half of its 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"....
s and clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
above. A combination of vertical dividers between sections and a horizontal course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
over the water table
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
give it a half-timber effect. The roof, with deep bracketed
Bracket (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...
overhangs, is both 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 and hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, covered in shingles.
Bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
project on the west and south. The windows, currently boarded on the inside, have plain wood surrounds. A brick chimney rises on the north (rear).
Inside the building is divided into two spaces, a waiting room (including the ticket office) on the south and baggage room in the north. The former has floor-to-ceiling oak paneling, oak floors, benches, with deep brackets on the ticket room cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
as well as the shelf at the window. A double Dutch door
Dutch door
A Dutch door , or stable door , or half door , is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens...
leads to the baggage room, where a bathroom has been created by partitioning.
History
Two prominent citizens of Yorktown, Edward Underhill and Charles Whitney, brought what was then the New York and Boston Railroad to the town in 1872. The station and a store were built five years later. By the 1880s the railroad station was the center of town, surrounded by five stores, a school, a hotel, two locksmiths, a wheelwright and two churches. The line and the station were later acquired by New York Central RailroadNew York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
in 1894 when it took over the Old Put. In 1902 it acquired land and built a coach yard, an engine service facility. It was a site of the connection to the Mohansic Branch to Mohansic State Hospital
Mohansic State Hospital
Mohansic State Hospital was a hospital which existed near Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York...
, now the site of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park is a state park in Westchester County, New York. It was formerly known as Mohansic Park and Mohansic State Park and is situated in Yorktown, about 40 miles from New York City...
, until 1917.
The station was closed in 1958, a year before passenger service was abandoned along the Putnam Line. Freight service was abandoned in 1962 between East Falls and Mahopac
Mahopac, New York
Mahopac, New York, is a hamlet in the Town of Carmel in Putnam County, New York. An exurb of New York City some to the south, Mahopac is located on US Route 6 on the County's southern central border with Westchester County...
. The town bought the station in 1966 as part of its urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
efforts. Initially the plan was to relocate it for use as a bus station, but in 1975 that was changed. It remained on site and was restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
with the intent of using it as a museum and office of the local Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. As of today, it remains unused.
