Millwood Station to be torn down

Considering the fact that today is the 49th anniversary of the end of passenger service on the Putnam Division, I took I ride over to Millwood to see how the old station is looking. I was shocked by what I saw - windows were smashed all over the place, the back (streetside) door of the station was wide open, and the roof appeared to be completely falling apart. The first time I saw the station, around 1995, it was recently repainted and everything looked to be in fairly good condition. As of a couple of years ago it looked as though it needed some work, but it certainly wasn't as bad as it is now. I sent an e-mail over to the New Castle Historical Society to see if there is any effort underway to save the station, and I'll post an update as soon as I get a reply from them. I took a few pictures and I'll post them tomorrow.

I thought Millwood station had been converted to a library?

It was an office for a realtor in the 70's and I recall one point when it had been freshly painted. A door open? The place has gone to hell for sure. Did you go inside?

Sarge wrote:I thought Millwood station had been converted to a library?

No, that was the Briarcliff station building. That is currently being used as their Public Library building.

The Millwood station building originally started it's life as the Briarcliff station. It was moved up the line around the turn of the 20th century to Millwood to make room for the new Briarcliff station. I'm not sure of the exact year. Maybe somewhere around 1906-09. The building is of the original New York & Northern design so it has to date back to the 1880's.

It's heartbreaking to see that the building is deteriorating like it is. I was over there a few years ago during January. I remeber that there was ice on the floor in the main room. There are definately holes in that roof. I'm sure the big wind and rain storms we've had recently haven't helped the situation.

I've heard a rumor that the property owner wants to sell the land for development (condos, co-ops, etc.) and has no interest in the station building. It's obvious that the town has no interest in it. Something's gotta be done to save it. It's a piece of railroad and Westchester County history. It would be a shame to lose another piece of the Put.

BTW, I know a guy (whose identity I won't disclose) who has the sign from the station. He told me once that he's more than willing to donate it to the town or whoever else decides to restore the building, once the building is restored IF that ever happens. Otherwise he's keeping it. I hope he gets the oppurtunity to donate one day.

Jon

Rumor notwithstanding, I can't quite picture condo development at that spot. I'm very sorry to hear about this deterioration. I think Millwood is one of only two remaining original NY&N-design stations (Yorktown Hts. being the other). Last time my wife and I biked the trailway there --- which must have been two years ago --- the building was still in pretty good shape. I wonder who owns the building and the plot it sits on, it should be easy enough to find out since land records everywhere are readily accessible. Well anyway, it will be interesting to hear the response from the New Castle istorical Society when it comes

Tom Curtin wrote: I think Millwood is one of only two remaining original NY&N-design stations (Yorktown Hts. being the other).

Isn't the Elmsford station still around? It's been a while since I was up there, but at that time it was a restaurant.

Also, interestingly, there's another preserved NY&N-design station, but it's not on the former Put line. Check out the former L&HR Great Meadows depot -- it's a dead ringer. Don't ask me how that came to be, since as far as I know the two railroads never had any corporate connection.

Shame on me . . . I forgot Elmsford!!!

Remember the station adjacent to the Saw Mill with the steel pedestrian overpass that was either at Chauncy or Hastings? I remember when it burned and then the railway tore it down, anybody else remember that? Which station was that? I think that fire was sometime between 1966 and 1968

D/

Dieter wrote:Remember the station adjacent to the Saw Mill with the steel pedestrian overpass that was either at Chauncy or Hastings? I remember when it burned and then the railway tore it down, anybody else remember that? Which station was that? I think that fire was sometime between 1966 and 1968

D/

Dieter the station you are recalling was Mount Hope which I think may be in the town of Hastings. I dont know if the station burned down or what, but I recall the remnants of the pedestrian overpass over the parkway lasted until fairly recent times. The abutment on the west side is still there and clearly visible. It's a mile or so south of Chauncey (Lawrence St.) and north of Farragut Pkwy.

I didn't received an e-mail back from the New Castle Historical Society, so I called them and spoke to a man who was very knowledgable about the Put. Apparently there are talks between the Town of New Castle and Westchester County regarding the preservation of the station, and they may have to move the station in order to save it. I also called the realtor who is involved with the property, and apparently the owner of the land around the station is looking to lease the development rights to the property. Here's a link to the realtor's page about the station property:

http://www.siteride.com/srpl/p_snapshot ... 0225007394

Hopefully the "talks" between the town and the county will speed up before the building deteriorates more than it already has. I'd agree about having trouble picturing condo's on that site, especially considering how narrow it is. However in 2007 Westchester anything is possible. Diagonally across the street from the station, 2 three story buildings (they appear to be residential) have been built, and in my opinion look very out of character for Millwood. They definately weren't there 2 years ago. Anyone familiar with old pictures showing the area behind the station will know that the street and houses behind the station hadn't changed much in appearance since the days when the Put was still there - until now.

Regarding the station with the pedestrian overpass next to it - that was Mount Hope. From the photos that I've seen of it, the station was identical to those at Ardsley, Millwood, Yorktown Heights, etc., with the exception of the extended canopies on all four sides. Does anyone know when the other stations along the line were demolished? I'm especially interested in the ones that were similar to the standard design - Dunwoodie (a larger version, similar to Elmsford), Ardsley, Amawalk, Baldwin Place, and Carmel.

Here's what I can tell you --- and it's not a lot --- about various Put stations. My days of sniffing out the Put started in 1965, which was a few years after the Lake Mahopac-Eastview abandonment. At that time the ROW was still almost completely intact except for a short section, where the Taconic Pkwy. crossed the ROW just south of Millwood. (Note: the original routing of the parkway there was where the northbound exit ramp now sits. The RR came under the parkway, curved to come up beside it and ran along the west side of it for a short distance) By the late summer of 1965 some reconstruction of the parkway had begun at that location. My first experience seeing the abandoned piece of the Put was a rather illegal "fantrip" in which a friend with a jeep drove a couple of us for the whole length, except for one detour around the Taconic Pkwy construction site mentioned above. We even bumped across the Croton Lake bridge on the ties. Looking back I guess this was not only illegal but hazardous --- but at age 20 you think you're invincible. Anyway, I can tell you as of that date around Labor Day 1965, the intact stations along the abandoned stretch were: Baldwin Place, Yorktown Hts., Millwood, Briarcliff, and Graham (Graham was just a small shelter but was still there).

A couple of years later (Oct. 67) I rode a real fantrip that included The Bronx to Eastview piece. What a great opportunity that was!!! At that time the intact stations south of Eastview were Elmsford, Ardsley, Chauncey, and partially intact Grey Oaks and Van Cortland Park. Somewhere I have a photo of that fantrip, taken from Ashford Ave. overpass, looking down on the train at Ardsley station.

Returning to 1965, at that time the line from Put Jct. to Lake Mahopac was still fully in service, and the only intact station there was Lake Mahopac (which I think is still there today although I have not been there lately).

A little item I did not learn until many years later was that Mahopac (not to be confused with Lake Mahopac) station, which was a small shelter, was removed intact at the end of passenger service up there and placed at Dykemans on the Harlem Div. where it had a minor second life for a few years until the NYC --- or perhaps PC by that time -- eliminated the Dykemans stop.

Sometime after the late 60s Baldwin Place vanished. I think it burned down. Whoever bought the Ardsley station property removed the station from there.

Any stations I havern't mentioned here were gone before 1965.

Tom Curtin wrote: Whoever bought the Ardsley station property removed the station from there.

I talked with Dan Gallo Sr. (author of the Put book) and he mentioned that PC, maybe it was actually Conrail I don't remember, was willing to sell the Ardsley station building for approximately $10,000 back in the mid 70's. The only catch was that the buyer had to relocate the building. Obviously no one took them up on the offer. Dan said he kinda wished he had gotten together the money to do that. There is now an autobody shop on that spot.

He also mention that Grahm was still standing in the mid-70's.

Jon

Dan Gallo wasn't the only one who regretted not buying the station. Fred Arone who ran the shop The Depot Attic down the street from Ardsley station and who I believe is now deceased, had the same regret. His father had been the agent there!!!

Are we still talking about Millwood, or are we going to wander all over the Put?

You cannot build condos on the Millwood station plot! New housing has been built across the street (when the residents saw "close to train station" in the ad, did they know the last train pulled out in 1958?), but the ROW is owned by the County. It is a rec trail. Between the trail and the road is the station. Not enough room for housing. Good location for retail with some ample parking.

I inquired about the depot years ago. Real estate agent said the owner wanted someone to lease the structure and renovate it and convert it to retail. Yeah, right.

That building will fall down or be burned down, don't worry. Millwood doesn't want it and the owner is hoping it will be struck by lightning. Take your pictures now, it won't be standing much longer. I'm sure the town will condemn it sooner or later and knock it down for him. That's how stuff works in that town.

-otto-

Millwood Station is in the Town of NEW CASTLE.

The NEW CASTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY is the place to start ringing chimes if you want to save the structure.

D/