Grab your cameras and hop in your cars!!!!!

I just heard from Dave Morrison that tomorrow the 1880s-era, brick, East Williston depot is being demolished, 8 years to the day that the agency was closed (12/10/96).

Get down there and get some photos before, during and after. (preferably before!!!!) This will be your last chance. Don't miss it and kick yourselves later!

Wish I could be there, but thankfully I photographed the depot years ago.

Someone please get some shots and maybe post them here.

Good luck!

What a sorry day for historical preservation!

Dave Keller

What a shame!

Shameful.

To stop this from happening to other landmarks in the future, visit the National Trust.

Here is the unfortunate East WIlliston station in 1991. What a tragedy if this horrible occurance can be confirmed to be true. How they could destroy such a beautiful, and historic structure is beyond me. I thought we were past this type of thing after the onslaught of the 60's and 70's that destroyed most of the Suffolk County LIRR stations.
What a tragedy!!

Dave Morrison was there this morning.

He says that when the first bite was taken out of the station canopy, the entire building hit the ground!!!

That was it. 120 years gone in about 3 minutes!

Grrrrrrrrrrr

Dave Keller

I was there today (12/11) at 12:00PM and all that remains is a small pile of bricks. Workmen were there cleaning up what's left. A temporary waiting room/ticket office trailer wait nearby.

Hi All,

It's True!!! I have digital photos of the workmen today puting the remains of the station into trucks being to be hauled away. This is a VERY sad end!! The MTA did this quick because the sign on the station is dated Dec. 9 saying the building will be coming down over the next few weeks. I guess the MTA/LIRR did it quick to avoid any community problems. This was what the 3rd oldest station on the LIRR I think? How did you find out Dave Keller? I'm still shocked at what I saw... If anyone wants photographs please send me an e-mail and I will gladly attach them for you. What an end... Somehow I think if this were MNRR the station might still be standing.

-Barry

I'd suggest that somebody get over there and forage through the remains. When Bellmore burned in the 1960's, the attic was full of 1880's ledgers, tickets, and other things. I know, because I was given a huge stack of smoked and partially charred papers. Over the years, I've distributed them to collectors. In this case, East Williston could have been the last treasure trove of that kind on the Island. Unless the building was structurally dangerous, somebody be made to answer for this type of vandalism. One question: Had the building been offered to a preservation group, would they have been able to move it and relocate it?
Whatever the answer, it's replacement will be ugly, devoid of character, and without merit. So very sad.

"I'd suggest that somebody get over there and forage through the remains. "

By now, nothing should remain. There was a pile of bricks at 12 noon, so I guess the site is all swept clean.

What caused the Bellmore station fire in the 60's ?

To answer several questions:

1. I was advised of the about-to-happen-atrocity by my friend Dave Morrison, retired LIRR Oyster Bay branch manager.

2. I too asked Dave about goodies in the attic. He says the attic was picked clean years ago. So . . .. no goodies . . . sorry! But, at least they weren't destroyed.

3. The Bellmore depot fire was an act of vandalism (arson). I believe the depot had been closed at the time of the fire due to the grade elimination. Am I correct Richard?

4. Dave Morrison says the ticket sales along the O.B. branch are through vending machines. I doubt there will be a manned ticket office rebuilt at East Williston. Perhaps one of the new covered shelter sheds as have been put up at stations along the Main Line and Montauk branches, etc. ?

5. I wonder how structurally sound the depot actually was, if the first bite into the covered platform pulled the entire structure down . . . . ? (George Ayling, once agent at C. I. told me that when they demolished the Central Islip depot they had to bash it a bunch of times to get the floor to break up, as it had been re-floored about 3 times in all the years he worked there (1909-1954). And that was a wooden structure!

6. Yes . . . Act quickly and no one can respond in time. By the time they respond, the building is already demolished!!! Well thought out I must say!

Dave Keller

Was the building actually not structurally sound, or did it just not meet some stupid aper pusher's idea of a 'perfect' train station?

The stupid thing? I bet they plop one of those stupid generic 'olde tyme rail station' look things in it's place.

And by the time it's done, they'll be tearing up the OB line anyway...

I suspect this will hit the news sooner or later...

Answering Dave's question, yes, the Bellmore fire was arson. The building came down shortly thereafter.

Regarding East Willy; Just because she was a 19th Century beauty, doesn't mean she was safe or salvageable. My thought is that she could well have had rot, termites, and weakened cement due to acid rain and just plain age. We can only hope the building had to come down for reasons that were unalterable.

At the least, the building is well photo documented and the Friends of #35 have Oyster Bay to bring back. Is Saint James preserved? There are a few on the east end that are gems as well.

Worst thought- The LIRR is being reduced to rapid transit with little or none of her charm which we middle aged guys have loved over the past century of change.

Thanks Richard for confirmation on Bellmore.

Yes, St. James has been restored. I believe I read where they spent a boatload of money doing it. I understand it originally had no foundation. It was built flat on the ground, so it had to be lifted up and a foundation built and then the depot set upon it. All the rotting wood was redone. The platform was replaced with brick pavers.

The only thing not original was restoring the 2nd man-door trackside that appears in all the old photos of the depot.

Anyhow, it's a beautiful little depot and they did a terrific job but it is still at the mercy of vandals and/or arsonists!


Dave Keller

I guess the b*st*rds can now replace the photo on this page with a pile of bricks:

http://lirr42.mta.info/stationinfo.asp?station=043

Idiots. I still can't believe this.