Yonkers Railroad Station
The opening of the Hudson River Railroad in 1849 signaled an era of unparalleled prosperity and growth for Yonkers as the small village was transformed from an agricultural to an industrial center. This 1911 Beaux Arts station is the third to stand on the spot. Designed by Warren & Wetmore, who are best known for Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, the interior of the Yonkers station features a large Guastavino-tiled entrance rotunda and a waiting room ornamented with decorative brickwork and terra-cotta shields.
The railroad provided an efficient and dependable means of shipping products to distant markets. No longer was the village dependent on the vagaries of river traffic, especially during the winter months.
Within a short time, the original station was reserved exclusively for freight traffic and a new passenger station was built at the foot of Ashburton Avenue.
After years of complaints by the local citizentry, the old “rat–trap” freight depot was replaced sometime around 1879 with a new passenger station to serve downtown.
