Dongan Hills station

The Dongan Hills station is a Staten Island Railway station in the neighborhood of Dongan Hills, Staten Island, New York.

Dongan Hills
Staten Island Railway station (rapid transit)
Dongan Hills station in September 2020
General information
Location	Seaview Avenue and North Railroad Avenue Dongan Hills, Staten Island
Coordinates	40.5890°N 74.0959°W / 40.5890; -74.0959
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Embankment
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	507
History
Opened	April 23, 1860[1]
Rebuilt	1933
Previous names	Garretson's
Services
Preceding station Staten Island Railway Following station Old Town toward St. George Jefferson Avenue toward Tottenville
Track layout Legend to Old Town to Jefferson Avenue
Location

History

The station opened on April 23, 1860, with the opening of the Staten Island Railway from Vanderbilt's Landing to Eltingville.^[1][2]

The station's original name was Garretson's, named after the original name of the neighborhood of the same name. The station's name changed after the neighborhood was renamed Dongan Hills. The name Garretson still can be found as there is a street that passes under the station.^[3][4] Both names appeared on the October 16, 1921 timetable.^[5] On February 21, 1907, the Staten Island Railway petitioned the Public Service Commission (PSC) to get permission to move the Dongan Hills stop from its location south of Seaview Avenue to a location 100 feet (30 m) to the north in between Seaview Avenue and Garretson Avenue. On March 12, 1907, the PSC granted its permission.^[6]

Station layout

Parking lot and station house

The station is located on an embankment at Seaview Avenue and Railroad Avenue on the main line. It has two side platforms and beige canopies.

The marble wall at street level on the south end is a legacy of when the line was converted from grade level to the current embankment level today. The grade separation took place in 1933. Free parking is available on a small lot adjacent to the northbound platform, which is owned by the MTA, the agency that controls the rail line. The brick station house is unusually positioned on the northbound side at platform level, unlike other SIR station houses, which are usually located on street level. The Dongan Hills station house had a ticket booth and benches until 1987, and then a vending machine for tokens until July 4, 1997 when the fare was eliminated for all stations south of St. George.

South of this station, there is an additional third track that once served a coal distributor. Grates between the rails led to chutes which now open into the backyards of homes that run alongside the embankment.

Platform level	Side platform
	Southbound	← toward Tottenville (Jefferson Avenue) ← rush hour express does not stop here
	Northbound	→ toward St. George (Old Town) → → AM rush express does not stop here →
	Side platform
Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance, buses, station house, parking Ramps on both sides of the station

Exits

There are staircases at the north end that lead to Garretson Avenue. The Dongan Hills station is handicapped accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with ramps at the south end that lead to the southern side of Seaview Avenue. Stairs also lead from each platform to the northern side of Seaview Avenue.^[7]

References

1. Irvin Leigh and Paul Matus (December 23, 2001). "SIRT The Essential History". p. 4. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
2. Poster for opening of Staten Island Railway
3. Sciences, Staten Island Institute of Arts and; Davis, William Thompson (1907). Proceedings - Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences. Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences.
4. Company, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1869). Miscellaneous Documents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company and Subsidiary Companies. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
5. "Time-Table No. 8 October 16, 1921 Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway". gretschviking.net. Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway Company. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
6. District, New York (State) Public Service Commission Second (1908). Annual Report of the Public Service Commission, Second District. J.B. Lyon Company. pp. 625–626. garretson's staten island dongan hills.
7. "Map of NYC Subway Entrances". NYC Open Data. City of New York. Retrieved July 10, 2018.

External links

Media related to Dongan Hills (Staten Island Railway station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Staten Island Railway station list
• Staten Island Railway general information
• Garretson Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Seaview Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platform level from Google Maps Street View