Historic 1912 Heathcote Train Depot to Celebrate 100th Anniversary with Free Memorial Day Fun and Food

SCARSDALE, NY, May 17, 2012 (Press-News.org) One hundred years ago, the former New York, Westchester and Boston (NYWB) Railroads completed a new passenger depot in Scarsdale, New York. This historic landmark, now fully renovated and occupied by Real Living Five Corners Real Estate, was built to accommodate passengers travelling from their homes in the "country" to New York City from 1912 until the train line was abandoned in 1937.

"To help celebrate the 100th anniversary of this architectural landmark, on Monday, May 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., we're inviting everyone to stop by the former depot at 300 Heathcote Road to help us celebrate with complimentary hot dogs, hamburgers, music, prizes, giveaways and balloons!" said Jonathan Lerner owner of the depot and Real Living Five Corners Real Estate. "This great building has stood at the northwest corner of Heathcote Five Corners for the last 100 years and we think that's worth celebrating!" he added.

"Our historic depot is a piece of Scarsdale history, and we believe it's important to honor that history. At our Memorial Day celebration, we'll have on display photographs of the building through the years, and we'll be happy to show everyone the restored interior," said Lerner. We really hope to have a huge crowd at our celebration to honor the architectural history of this great NYWB depot," Lerner added.

"The depot is one of Scarsdale's most architecturally and historically significant structures. It's built in an Italian Renaissance design and its red tile roof was unique for the area in 1912," said Lerner. "The exterior building is faced with stucco painted white and the inlaid tiles on the façade denote the family crest of Caleb Heathcote, Founder of the Manor of Scarsdale in 1701," Lerner added.

All NYWB stations were designed so passengers could only access the platforms by entering the main station buildings. This design allowed for a unique method of ticket fare collection that was only in use in the underground railways of London and Berlin at the time.

"One hundred years ago, the depot was part of one of America's most state-of-the art commuter railroads. It was designed by the firm of Reed and Stem from St. Paul, Minnesota. They designed more than 100 stations for major railroad lines during the early part of the 20th century and collaborated on the design for the famous New York City Grand Central Station," said Lerner.
"And most significant of all, of the 25 original NYWB stations in Westchester County, our Heathcote depot is one of only six still standing," he added.

After the NYWB went out of business in 1938, the depot was unoccupied until 1941, when the possibility of reviving the railway was officially ruled out. The Village of Scarsdale acquired the property through foreclosure in 1943 and leased it out to various businesses, and the City even used it as a warehouse for storing election and road equipment.

"In 1971, the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps was formed and the building served as its headquarters. For more than 40 years, they answered the calls of residents, workers, and commuters in Scarsdale with advanced life support ambulance services before they moved to their newly-constructed site on Weaver Street," Lerner said.

In 2008, the depot underwent a two-year renovation project by Real Living Five Corners Real Estate. It's listed on the Westchester County Inventory of Historic Places and is currently one of only 14 places in Scarsdale included in the county inventory.

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