Morris Park station

Morris Park is a station on the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway served by the 5 train at all times. It is located at Paulding Avenue and the Esplanade in Morris Park, Bronx.

Morris Park
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Station statistics
Address	Paulding Avenue & Esplanade Bronx, NY 10462
Borough	The Bronx
Locale	Morris Park
Coordinates	40.854429°N 73.860397°W
Division	A (IRT, formerly NYW&B)
Line	IRT Dyre Avenue Line
Services	5  (all times)
Structure	Partially underground and partially on embankment
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened	May 29, 1912 (NYW&B station) May 15, 1941 (re-opened as a Subway station)
Closed	December 12, 1937 (NYW&B station)
Station code	446[1]
Opposite- direction transfer	Yes
Traffic
2019	711,229[2]  6.4%
Rank	393 out of 424[2]
Station succession
Next north	Pelham Parkway: 5
Next south	East 180th Street: 5
Location
Track layout to Pelham Pkwy to Unionport Yard to E 180 St
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays and weekday late nights Stops weekends and weekend late nights
Morris Park Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Under Esplanade Ave. at Bogart and Colden Ave. and Hone Ave., Bronx, New York
Coordinates	40.854429°N 73.860397°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1912
Architect	Reed and Stem; Fellheimer & Long
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP reference No.	05000677[3]
Added to NRHP	July 6, 2005

History

New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad

The station was first placed in service in 1912 as part of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad, a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven and Hartford. The line was designed for the weight of the heaviest mainline steam trains. The NYW&B offered frequent service between 138th Street in the South Bronx and White Plains and Port Chester in Westchester County. The White Plains and Port Chester branches diverged at Mount Vernon Junction near Columbus Avenue along the boundary between Mount Vernon and Pelham.

The two outer tracks at Morris Park were for trains that made local stops in the Bronx, and went to Port Chester. The two inner tracks were for express trains that made limited stops in the Bronx, and went to White Plains. The trains were powered by 11,000 Volt 25 Hz alternating current supplied from an overhead catenary. The cut-off stumps of the catenary bridges remain along the right of way and can be seen from the south ends of the platforms.

The NYW&B was doomed by the bankruptcy of its patron, the New Haven. Service ended in 1937.[4]

New York City Transit

A few years later, the portion in the Bronx became part of the New York City Transit System. Initial subway service was a shuttle (nicknamed "The Dinky") to the old NYW&B platforms at East 180th Street. In the late 1950s, the construction of a flying junction with the White Plains Road line allowed Dyre Avenue trains to enter the East 180th Street subway station and continue to Manhattan. Around this period, the Morris Park platforms were extended towards the south to accommodate ten-car subway trains. This required reducing the height of the outboard plate girders of the bridge over Colden Avenue so that the bottoms of the platforms would be above the tops of the girders. The massive overdesign of the bridge allowed ample margin for trimming the girders.

On November 24, 1979, an R22 car, #7602, was involved in a rear-ending accident here.

The Bronx-bound platform was closed for renovation from February 17, 1992 to August 31, 1992, earlier than its expected reopening in late fall 1992.[5] As part of the project, the station received new benches, fluorescent lighting, an upgraded electrical system and stairway from the station building to Paulding Avenue. The station renovation was to be fully completed in November with repairs to the station building, including a new ceiling, a new clay-tile roof, and new windows and doors.[6]

From the 1990s until the early 2000s the platform walls had a red and blue skyline design, before being painted beige. In the late 1990s, the original concrete exterior walls alongside the station platforms and the original roof that was supported on concrete columns and massive cantilevered timbers were replaced with steel bents supporting a clad metal wall system and a corrugated metal roof deck.

The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 2005.

Station layout

3F	Ground level	Station house, entrance/exit to Esplanade, Paulding Avenue, and Woodmansten Place
2F Platform level	Side platform,
	Northbound local	← toward Dyre Avenue (Pelham Parkway)
	Northbound express	→ No regular service
	Southbound express	→ No regular service
	Southbound local	→ toward Flatbush Avenue weekdays, Bowling Green evenings/weekends (East 180th Street) → → late night shuttle toward East 180th Street (Terminus) →
	Side platform

Tunnel portal at north end

The station has two side platforms with four tracks (two center express tracks formerly used by the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway) and is partially underground and partially on an embankment. The underground portion is at the south end of a 4,000-foot (1,200 m) long, four-track tunnel under the Bronx and Pelham Parkway. This tunnel includes a four-track underground station, the Pelham Parkway station, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of the Morris Park station. The heavy construction and high clearances greatly exceed the size and weight requirements of IRT subway cars.

The emblem of the NYW&B, was the caduceus, a staff entwined with serpents that has served as a symbol of commerce since Classical times. It is cast into several locations of the concrete facade facing the Esplanade.

Exit

The station's only entrance/exit is a head house at the southwest corner of Esplanade and Paulding Avenue.[7] The head house is notable for its graceful Spanish Mission style architecture and robust reinforced concrete construction. The handsome exterior, with its tall arched windows and tiled roof, has been restored to good condition. It was designed by Alfred T. Fellheimer, who was the lead architect for Grand Central Terminal.[8]

There was formerly an exit under the tracks with a waiting room that led to the north side of Colden Avenue near Lydig Avenue. It is now bricked over.[9]^:15

References

1. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
2. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
4. "Westchester Line Passes with 1937". The New York Times. January 1, 1938. p. 36. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
5. "Attention 5 Subway Customers: Morris Park Bronx-bound platform is closing February 17th to late Fall 1992". New York Daily News. February 14, 1992. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
6. "It's Fixed. Morris Park station Dyre Av-bound platform re-opens 7 AM Monday, August 31". New York Daily News. August 28, 1992. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
7. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Pelham Parkway" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
8. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot (June 2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-8129-3107-6.
9. "Historic Structures Report: Morris Park Subway Station (IRT)" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. May 27, 2005. Retrieved June 19, 2020.

External links

Media related to Morris Park (IRT Dyre Avenue Line) at Wikimedia Commons

• nycsubway.org – IRT White Plains Road Line: Morris Park
• Station Reporter — 5 Train
• The Subway Nut — Morris Park Pictures
• Stairway on Paulding Avenue leading to the entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Station house from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View