149th Street station (IRT Third Avenue Line)

149th Street was a station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line. It was located in "The Hub" in the South Bronx, at the intersection of 149th Street, Third Avenue, Willis Avenue, and Melrose Avenue.[2] Opened as an express station in 1887 and later operating as the line's southern terminus,[3][4] the station closed in 1973 and was demolished by 1977 due to political pressure in the area.[4][5][6]

149th Street
Former New York City Subway station
South end of the station following its closure in 1974
Station statistics
Address	East 149th Street and 3rd Avenue Bronx, NY 10455
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	The Hub
Coordinates	40°48′56.8″N 73°55′05.5″W
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Third Avenue Line
Services	None
System transfers	IRT White Plains Road Line (at Third Avenue–149th Street)
Structure	Elevated
Platforms	2 island platforms (1887–1955) 1 island platform (1955–1973)
Tracks	3 (1887–1955) 2 (1955–1973)
Other information
Opened	June 16, 1887 (June 16, 1887)
Closed	April 29, 1973 (April 29, 1973)[1]
Station succession
Next north	156th Street
Next south	Terminus (1955–1973) 143rd Street (1887–1955)
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops in station at all times Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only Stops late nights and weekends only Stops weekdays only Stops all times except rush hours in the peak direction Stops all times except weekdays in the peak direction Stops daily except rush hours in the peak direction Stops rush hours only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only Station is closed (Details about time periods)

Station layout

The station was built as an express station, with three tracks and two island platforms; the center express track was completed by 1916.[3] North of the station, a spur track curved from Third Avenue east onto Westchester Avenue (150th Street) to connect with the IRT White Plains Road Line. A signal tower was located in between the mainline and the spur track.[7]

After it became the line's southern terminal in 1955,[3] the center track was removed and the platforms were connected into one large island platform. A diamond crossover switch was installed north of the station to relay terminating trains.

History

The Hub in Bronx at the north end of the former station, 35 years after it closed.

The station was originally opened on June 16, 1887 by the Suburban Rapid Transit Company. On July 10, 1905, the underground Third Avenue–149th Street station of the IRT White Plains Road Line (which fed into the Lenox Avenue and West Side subways) was opened, and free transfers were provided between the two stations.[8][9] In October 1911, the 149th Street Crosstown Trolley Line between Longwood and Harlem opened (the predecessor to the current Bx19 bus), in addition to the Third Avenue trolley line of the Third Avenue and Union Railway system.[10][11] Between 1913 and 1916 during the Dual Contracts, the center track was added to facilitate express service along the line.[3] Around this time, the name "The Hub of the Bronx" emerged due to the area's status as a major transportation, commercial, and amusement center.[10][12][9]

In 1921, a seven-car train derailed crossing the spur track north of the station, destroying a control tower and causing a fire on the trestle. Thirty passengers were injured, and the second of the wooden elevated cars was damaged beyond repair.[7]

On May 12, 1955,[3] the Third Avenue elevated was closed south of 149th Street, ending service on the line between the Bronx and Manhattan. 149th Street station became the southern terminus of the Third Avenue Line.[3] In the 1960s under the Program For Action, the city planned to close the remainder of the line, which fell into disrepair and was credited for blight in the area.[4][13] The station closed on April 29, 1973 and was demolished in 1977.[5][6]

Current status

From 1973 to 2013, the Bx55 limited bus replaced elevated service between The Hub and Gun Hill Road. Free transfers, first via a paper transfer and later by MetroCard, were given between the bus and the 149th Street subway station. In 2013, the Bx55 was eliminated, replaced by the Bx15 limited bus which terminates at Fordham Plaza.[4][14][15][16] Service to Gun Hill Road is provided by the parallel Bx41 Select Bus Service route along Webster Avenue.[17]

References

1. "Third Avenue El Makes Final Run". The Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. April 30, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved June 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Grand Concourse / Yankee Stadium" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
3. Sparberg, Andrew J. (October 1, 2014). "13". From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA. Fordham University Press. pp. 111–116. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1.
4. Seigel, Max H. (July 18, 1972). "City Plans to Raze 3d Ave. El in Bornx" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
5. Donovan, Aaron (July 29, 2001). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Belmont; Close-Knit Bronx Area With Italian Aura". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
6. Blumenthal, Ralph (August 27, 1977). "Now That El's Gone, Bronx Hub Sees A Brighter Future" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
7. "30 HURT, 500 IN PERIL IN ODD TRAIN WRECK ON 3D AV. ELEVATED; Cars Jump the Rails at Switch and Dash a Signal Tower to Pieces" (PDF). The New York Times. May 31, 1921. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
8. "Subway Trains Running from Bronx to Battery" (PDF). The New York Times. July 10, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
9. Herzberg, Joseph G. (September 4, 1972). "The Bronx Had Everything, Including Own Shows" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
10. "Bronx Has New Crosstown Trolley Line Entering Manhattan Through 149th Street" (PDF). The New York Times. October 22, 1911. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
11. "REVIEW OF WEEK'S IMPORTANT DEALS" (PDF). The New York Times. May 7, 1911. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
12. "THE REAL ESTATE FIELD; Bronx Plot Sells for $200 a Front Foot -- John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Takes Title to the Francis S. Kinney House -- $148,000 Paid for Theatre and Office Building Site in Jamaica, L.I." (PDF). The New York Times. March 2, 1912. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
13. "Full text of "Metropolitan transportation, a program for action. Report to Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York."". Internet Archive. November 7, 1967. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
14. "The 3rd Avenue Corridor". The Bronx Journal. March 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
15. Faison, Seth (November 18, 1992). "Bronx Bus Line Riders Get Glimpse of Future". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
16. "3d Avenue El Closes Saturday; Fleet of 60 Buses to Replace It" (PDF). The New York Times. April 22, 1973. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
17. bx41 sbs starting in june 2013 in mta board meeting packet pages 7.6-7.16 Archived October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Media related to 149th Street (IRT Third Avenue Line) at Wikimedia Commons

• "3rd Avenue El". nycsubway.org. Archived from the original on January 27, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
• "Third Avenue Local". Station Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2009.