6. Cass Gilbert’s Westchester Avenue Station
Plants and vines have overcome the Westchester Avenue Station along Concrete Plant Park in The Bronx. The station, which was completed between 1908 and 1916, is one of thirteen stations that Gilbert designed for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. It is now one of only four that remain — the other three of which are Hunts Point Avenue, City Island, and Morris Park. The Westchester Avenue Station features architectural elements that can be found in Gilbert’s other famous works including the Woolworth Building and the Alexander Hamilton Custom House. The facade features richly glazed terra cotta tiles and ornately carved panels and cut-outs in geometric and floral patterns.
In 2012, SLO Architecture created an innovative innovation project that aimed to bring new life to the station. Plans for the project showed that the building would be relocated to a spot over the Bronx River, adjacent to Concrete Plant Park. This relocation would link the structure to the waterways and waterfronts of Greater New York. The pandemic, however, slowed the project’s progress. As of 2022, the abandoned station is still in disrepair.