Tuckahoe Railroad Station, Tuckahoe New York
Prior to the arrival of the railroads, Westchester County was a series of small independent communities separated by farmland and rural estates. The opening of rail lines connecting the towns and villages of Westchester with New York City was to irrevocably change the character of this county. On April 25, 1831, the New York and Harlem Railroad was incorporated with a planned run between New York City and the town of Harlem in northern Manhattan. Service to White Plains was soon inaugurated. It was the advent of reliable train service between Westchester and New York City that brought about the suburban development of the county. The original railroads were modest single-track lines with small wooden stations. As demand for service increased the rail lines were widened, tracks added, and imposing new stations erected. Most of the stations now in use in Westchester date from the last years of the nineteenth century or the first decades of the twentieth century; all of Westchester's Harlem Line stations south of White Plains date from the early twentieth century.
The village of Tuckahoe in the town of Eastchester was one of the first communities to develop along the Harlem line. The village grew as a direct result of the presence of rich beds of Tuckahoe marble. Tuckahoe marble was the building material for some of the most prestigious structures in the New York area prior to the Civil War. Among the notable structures built of Tuckahoe marble are the New York County Courthouse ("Tweed Courthouse"). Colonnade Row, and the A. T. Stewart Store, all in New York City. Because of the presence of the marble quarries, Tuckahoe grew into a working-class community. This remained true through the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century as a variety of industries located in the area. This is evident to the northwest of the station where there is a large concrete factory built by a rubber company and more recently used by Revlon (the building is now vacant). In the early twentieth century suburban homes also began to appear in Tuckahoe. The station was erected in the center of town, near what was a small commercial area. There are now more commercial buildings, as well as the former Village Hall, near the station. The Village Hall, built c.1910 immediately across from the station, uses yellow brick of a similar color to that on the station.
The Tuckahoe Station, consisting of a station building designed in 1901 and platforms from 1909, is an important early twentieth century Westchester railroad station. The station is one of the oldest on the southern section of the Harlem line and is an important visual presence on Depot Square in the heart of Tuckahoe's commercial district. There are a number of interesting features at the Tuckahoe Station, including the use of yellow and beige brick, the extensive wood paneling and enameled brick on the interior, the sunken platforms with concrete walls, and the baggage elevator structures.
The Tuckahoe Station is a one-story structure. The building is cross-shaped, with shallow arms. The station is 57'5 7/8" long; 27'8" wide at the north and south ends; and 38'8" wide at the arms of the cross.
A steel bridge crosses the tracks, connecting the station with the platforms. A one bay long wooden canopy extends from the west waiting room entrance to the bridge. This canopy has square wooden posts with chamfered corners and simple struts. It has a flat wooden ceiling with bracketed eaves. The canopy continues on the bridge with steel posts, beams, and brackets and a gently sloping roof with a wood beamed ceiling (this canopy dates from 1927). A single south-facing steel staircase with concrete treads leads down to each platform. The stairs have canopies and pipe railings; the northbound canopy is wood, the southbound steel.
The floor plan of the building is largely original. The waiting room is in the north end of the building. The ticket office is in the west arm of the cross and the women's room (consisting of an outer area and smaller toilet room) is the east arm. A hall is located between these two rooms and connects the waiting room with the baggage room. A small sink and the stairs to the cellar are on the left side of the hall and the men's toilet is to the right.
