(rshsdepot) Chappaqua, NY

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo links:
http://www.old-postcards.com/4587.jpg  (old postcard view)
http://www.old-postcards.com/4586.jpg  (old postcard view, circa 1911)
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/gifs/har_chap.jpg  (small contemporary view)

Chappaqua station to be historically restored
By LINDSAY SONSKY
THE JOURNAL NEWS


CHAPPAQUA - The old black-and-white photographs of the Chappaqua train
station show scenes of horse-drawn buggies, women in bonnets and conductors
with watch chains hanging from their pockets.

The photos are on display at the station to celebrate its 100th anniversary
this past June. Since the days when dirt paths blazed the way to the
station, built of grey fieldstone with a tile roof, there have been some
modern touch-ups. Soon, this historic building will begin taking steps back
in time.

Architects are drawing up plans to restore the Chappaqua train station to
its original condition.

Supervisor Marion Sinek said a bid for a contractor is planned to go out in
August and construction should be completed by the end of the year.

"I think it's wonderful, I can't wait for them to do it," said Dennis
Saraceno, Chappaqua station master and employee of Metro-North Railroad for
27 years.

Saraceno said a lot of modern stations in Westchester and Putnam counties
have a cold, antiseptic feel to them.

The dark wood-paneled station, which is lighted mainly by several large
windows, still has much of its early 1900s look.

Apart from the high ceilings and long wooden benches is a more modern side
of the station, Cafe La Track. Here Chappaqua commuters can pick up a cup of
coffee or quick breakfast.

Mitar Pejanovic, the owner of Cafe La Track, isn't looking forward to being
closed during the construction but admits that the building is old and needs
repairs.

The New Castle Historical Society said that in 1902, Horace Greeley's
daughter Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin donated a little less than 3 acres of
land for the new train station and entrance road. The old station was north
of King Street, and became too small for Chappaqua's growing population.

Clendenin's instructions to keep the Depot Plaza undeveloped can still be
seen as a green oasis in the center of the station's roadway.

For two years, the New Castle Town Board has been in discussions to repair
and restore the old station, which is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places.

Since discussions began, the town has received $554,000 from the state
Department of Transportation and a $150,000 federal grant for renovations
and repairs.

It's still too early to know how much the entire project will cost or what
the repairs and restoration will include, Sinek said.

"We want to keep it as close to the original as possible," Sinek said,
except for adding air conditioning for the ticket vendor and making the
building accessible to the disabled.

The Manhattan-based architectural firm Wank, Adams and Slavin Associates,
which is drawing up the construction documents, is no stranger to
restoration, having done repairs to about 15 other Metro-North train
stations.

"The station is aged, and the original wood finishes have been painted
over," said Carl Rotchbort, senior associate of the firm. "It's been
modernized, and we want to bring it back to its historic feel."


  Bernie Wagenblast
  Transportation Communications Newsletter
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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