Philipse Manor (Metro-North station)

Philipse Manor

A north-bound express train passes through the station
Location 78 Riverside Drive &
270 Millard Avenue
Sleepy Hollow, NY, 10591
Coordinates 41°5′41″N 73°52′10″W / 41.09472°N 73.86944°W / 41.09472; -73.86944
Line(s)
  Hudson Line
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 4
Construction
Parking PMIA permit West Side
Village of SH on East Side
Other information
Fare zone 5
History
Opened 1910[1]
Electrified 700V (DC) third rail
Services
Preceding station   Metro-North Railroad   Following station
Hudson Line
toward Poughkeepsie
  Former services  
New York Central Railroad
toward Peekskill
Hudson Division
Philipse Manor Railroad Station
Coordinates 41°5′41″N 73°52′10″W / 41.09472°N 73.86944°W / 41.09472; -73.86944Coordinates: 41°5′41″N 73°52′10″W / 41.09472°N 73.86944°W / 41.09472; -73.86944
Area less than one acre
Architectural style Tudor revival
NRHP Reference # 91000237[2]
Added to NRHP March 14, 1991

The Philipse Manor Metro-North Railroad station serves residents of Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States, via the Hudson Line. Trains leave for New York City every 25 to 35 minutes on weekdays. It is 25.7 miles from Grand Central Terminal and travel time to Grand Central is as little as 38 minutes, with some local trains taking 57 minutes. Trains of electric multiple units serve the station.

Built around 1910, the Tudorbethan architecture of the station's original has earned it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as an intact example of an early commuter rail station.[1] It is the only station on the Hudson Line besides Poughkeepsie to be so recognized.

Station

The main building (now not used for rail purposes) is a one-story hip-roofed octagonal structure of rock-faced granite block with stone, stucco and wood trim. It is built into the bluff created when the tracks were cut, and thus access to them was provided through the basement, through doors which have since been bricked off.[1]

The station's east facade is augmented with two gabled portes-cocheres projecting at oblique angles, each supported by a heavy granite pier. Trapezoidal wings also jut from the narrow sides of the octagon. The loggia across the facade has central round arched opening with a parapet. This does not lead to an entrance, instead backing the fireplace and its corbeled stone chimney. The roof original used slate, but this has been replaced with asphalt shingles.[1]

Inside, the fireplace uses several colors of granite, flanked with original iron radiators. It is complemented by dark oak matchboards over the stucco, laid to simulate paneling and form a dado. Further ornamentation includes a double frieze at ceiling level.[1]

The more modern station subsequently built by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) consists of two long concrete, elevated side platforms with dark-green painted steel shelters. Between them are the four tracks of this section of the Hudson Line, all with third rails. The inside tracks carry express trains, and diesel-powered Amtrak and Metro-North trains bound for the non-electrified sections between Croton–Harmon and the northern end of the line at Poughkeepsie, none of which stop at Philipse Manor. A green overpass connects the two platforms.

History

The construction of the Hudson River Railroad and its later acquisition by the New York Central in the late 19th century opened up the river towns in Westchester County for suburbanization. It became possible for those of sufficient means to live in large houses amid the pastoral and scenic riverside, and accordingly villages like Irvington, Tarrytown and North Tarrytown (today's Sleepy Hollow) began to grow and develop.[1]

A stone building with a peaked roof and half-timbered pediments seen from its right, with a platform and some railroad tracks visible in the front. Three large round arched entryways at track level have been closed with wood paneling
1910 main building, west elevation, 2009.

Undeveloped areas along the railroad line were soon snapped up by developers who saw the possibilities. In 1900 one, John Brisben Walker, acquired the old Kingsland estate in the north of North Tarrytown and began subdividing it. One of his selling points was the rail access, but this failed to materialize and Walker had to sell the property, now called Philipse Manor in a confused reference to nearby Philipsburg Manor House,[3] and had to sell to William Bell, who was able to complete it. He made the rail service possible by building the station and presenting it to the railroad.[1]

It remained in use throughout the private ownership of the railroad. When the Metropolitan Transportation Authority assumed passenger commuter operations of the then-bankrupt Penn Central in the early 1970s and passed it along to Metro-North in 1983, it eventually closed the station house in favor of automated ticketing operations, and the main house fell into disrepair. The station has since been reused as the Hudson Valley Writers' Center, which won an award from the Preservation League of New York State for its work on the station in 2005.[4]

As of 2008 the MTA has been working to extend the platforms to accommodate eight-car trains and improve service and capacity. It is part of a $56 million program focused on all the Rivertowns stations. The agency expects it will be complete by 2010.[5]

Platforms and tracks

4 ■ Hudson Line for Grand Central
2 ■ Hudson Line no stop
■ Empire Service no stop
1 ■ Hudson Line no stop
■ Empire Service no stop
3 ■ Hudson Line for Poughkeepsie

The station has two high-level side platforms, each eight cars long. The west platform next to Track 4 is generally used by southbound trains. The east platform next to Track 3 is generally used by northbound trains.

The Hudson Line has four tracks. The two inner tracks not next to either platform are used by express trains.

Nearby

A short drive from the train station are these interesting sites:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kuhn, Robert (January 1991). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Philipse Manor Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  2. ↑ Westchester County Listings -- National Register of Historic Places
  3. ↑ The actual Philipse Manor is in Yonkers, some ten miles (16 km) to the south (both manor houses served the original Philipsburg Manor).
  4. ↑ "EXCELLENCE IN PRESERVATION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Restoration of Philipse Manor Railroad Station to be Honored" (Press release). Preservation League of New York State. 2005-08-02. Retrieved 2008-06-22. Erected between 1910 and 1912, this handsome granite edifice became the gateway for one of the nation’s first (1903) planned suburban developments, Philipse Manor. In the 1970s, MetroNorth ceased using the building, and its great fireplace and American Chestnut-paneled waiting room fell victim to vandals. The HVWC successfully restored the majestic building as a space for offices, prose and poetry readings, writing workshops and other cultural programs.
  5. ↑ Valenti, Ken (2008-06-20). "Metro-North finishes work on four Hudson Line stations". The Journal News. Gannett Corporation. Retrieved 2008-06-22. Work continues at three more stations - Ossining, Scarborough and Philipse Manor - which the railroad expects to complete in 2010. One other station remains, in Tarrytown, which needs extensive work, officials said.
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