Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue Station

The Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station (formerly Westchester Square station) is a local station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of East Tremont and Westchester Avenues in the Westchester Square neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction, when the <6> train takes over.

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History

This station was built as part of the Pelham Line, which was part of the Dual Contracts, signed on March 19, 1913, and also known as the Dual Subway System. The Pelham Line was proposed to be a branch of the Lexington Avenue Line running northeast via 138th Street, Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue to Pelham Bay Park. This station opened on October 24, 1920 as the line's new terminal with the line's extension from East 177th Street. Service was initially served by a mix of through and shuttle trains during the 1920s.

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.

Under the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, the station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, was to undergo a complete overhaul and would have been entirely closed for up to six months. Updates would have included cellular service, Wi-Fi, charging stations, improved signage, and improved station lighting. However, these renovations were deferred due to a lack of funding. Regardless, the station was closed in one direction for approximately two months (one month per direction) to facilitate ADA accessibility renovations.

As part of a revision to the Capital Program in April 2018, the MTA announced that the station would have elevators installed, making the station ADA-accessible. By February 2021, funding had been committed to accessibility renovations at the station. In December 2021, the MTA awarded a contract for the installation of elevators at eight stations, including the Westchester Square station. The project, which also included structural repairs and restoration of historic features, cost $122.5 million, of which $98.6 million was funded by the Federal Transit Administration. In addition, four new stairways were added, eight stairways were renovated, and new fire alarm and communication systems, and CCTV cameras were installed. , the project was scheduled to be completed in May 2024, but the elevators did not open until January 2025.

Station layout

This elevated station has three tracks and two side platforms. The center track is not used in regular service. The 6 local train serves the station at all times except rush hours in the peak direction, when the <6> express train serves the station instead. The next stop to the south is Zerega Avenue, while the next stop to the north is Middletown Road.

As part of the MTA Arts & Design program, the station features a stained glass artwork by Romare Bearden, which is known variously as ''City of Light'' or ''City of Glass''. The artwork, a triptych measuring across, depicts a subway train traveling past a skyline. It was designed in 1982 but not installed until 1993, after Bearden died. The station also has eight painted steel panels in the station walls on the platforms that is intended to honor the area's native inhabitants. This artwork, titled ''The Land Between Open Water'', is by Shervone Neckles, and was installed in 2024.

There are glass block tile and "uptown" and "downtown" directional mosaics in the mezzanine. From the northbound platform, there is a good view of the Bronx–Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges. Westchester Yard is located railroad north of the station, to the west of the Pelham Line itself. There are no windscreens.

Exit

The station's only exit is a mezzanine beneath the tracks in Westchester Square. Outside fare control, a stair and an elevator lead to the northeast corner of Westchester Avenue and Lane Avenue.

Nearby points of interest

* Herbert H. Lehman High School
* Huntington Free Library and Reading Room
* Montefiore Medical Center
* St. Peter's Church, Chapel and Cemetery Complex
* Westchester Creek

References

External links

*
* nycsubway.org â€
City of Light Artwork by Romare Bearden (1993)
* nycsubway.org â€
Unknown Artwork (unknown artist and date)
* Station Reporter â€

* The Subway Nut â€


* MTA's Arts For Transit â€

* [https://maps.google.com/?ll=40.840048,-73.842759&spn=0.005235,0.009645&layer=c&cbll=40.84011,-73.842682&panoid=DKtIA7SmRPaVkGQXoYpVqw&cbp=12,269.22,,0,1.33&t=m&z=17 Westchester Square entrance from Google Maps Street View]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Westchester Square-East Tremont Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)
IRT Pelham Line stations
Railway and subway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City
New York City Subway stations in the Bronx
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1920
1920 establishments in New York City
National Register of Historic Places in the Bronx
Westchester Square, Bronx