Lenox Avenue Line (surface)
Encyclopedia
The Lenox Avenue Line is a surface transit
line on Lenox Avenue
in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City
, United States
. The line was once operated separately, but later became the northern end of the Broadway and Columbus Avenue Line and Broadway and Lexington Avenue Line, now the M7 and M102 bus routes.
, whenever required by the Common Council". Because Central Park
was designated in 1853, the Sixth Avenue Line
was only built to 59th Street
. This long-dormant clause was used in 1894, when the Common Council ordered the company, then leased to the Metropolitan Street Railway, to build in what had become Lenox Avenue from 110th Street
(the northern boundary of Central Park) to the Harlem River. The Metropolitan used the line to experiment with conduit electrification, opening on July 9, 1895. From opening, the main line began at Columbus Avenue and 108th Street, where the cable-powered
Columbus Avenue Line
ended, and ran along Columbus Avenue, 109th Street, Manhattan Avenue
, 116th Street
, and Lenox Avenue to the river (148th Street). Franchises for the tracks other than on Lenox Avenue had been granted to the Lexington Avenue and Pavonia Ferry Railroad in 1892 and the Columbus and Ninth Avenue Railroad in 1894. The Metropolitan soon decided that it would convert all of its lines to the conduit system, being less costly than cable traction. The Lenox Avenue Car House, a car house and power house
, occupied the block bounded by Lenox Avenue, Seventh Avenue
, and 146th and 147th Streets.
A second route was soon added, from the end of the cable-operated Lexington Avenue Line at 105th Street north on Lexington Avenue
, west on 116th Street, and north on Lenox Avenue. When the cable lines were electrified in 1901, they were combined with the Lenox Avenue Line, which lost its separate identity. The car house was rebuilt as a bus garage
by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
in 1938 and 1939, and is still used by the New York City Transit Authority
as the Mother Clara Hale Depot.
By 1935, its last full year of operation, the line, operated by New York Railways
, was known as the Lexington-Lenox Avenue Line. It ran from 22nd Street and Broadway to 146th Street and Lenox Avenue, via 23rd Street, Lexington Avenue, 116th Street, and Lenox Avenue.
Surface transit
Surface transit is a type of public transit that operates on the surface in built-up areas, usually with buses or tram systems....
line on Lenox Avenue
Lenox Avenue (Manhattan)
Lenox Avenue / Malcolm X Boulevard is the primary north-south route through Harlem in the upper portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. This two-way street runs from Farmers' Gate at Central Park North to 147th Street. It is also considered the heartbeat of Harlem by Langston Hughes in...
in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The line was once operated separately, but later became the northern end of the Broadway and Columbus Avenue Line and Broadway and Lexington Avenue Line, now the M7 and M102 bus routes.
History
The franchise given to the Sixth Avenue Railroad by the city in 1851 specified that it should extend its tracks "up the Sixth avenue to Harlem RiverHarlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
, whenever required by the Common Council". Because Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
was designated in 1853, the Sixth Avenue Line
Sixth Avenue Line (Manhattan surface)
The Sixth Avenue Line was a public transit line in Manhattan, New York City, United States, running mostly along Sixth Avenue from Lower Manhattan to Central Park...
was only built to 59th Street
59th Street (Manhattan)
59th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan runs east-west, from York Avenue to the West Side Highway, with a discontinuity between Ninth Avenue/Columbus Avenue and Eighth Avenue/Central Park West for the Time Warner Center. Although it is bi-directional for most of its length, the...
. This long-dormant clause was used in 1894, when the Common Council ordered the company, then leased to the Metropolitan Street Railway, to build in what had become Lenox Avenue from 110th Street
110th Street (Manhattan)
110th Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is commonly known as the boundary between Harlem and Central Park, along which it is known as Central Park North. In the west, it is also known as Cathedral Parkway....
(the northern boundary of Central Park) to the Harlem River. The Metropolitan used the line to experiment with conduit electrification, opening on July 9, 1895. From opening, the main line began at Columbus Avenue and 108th Street, where the cable-powered
Cable car (railway)
A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
Columbus Avenue Line
Columbus Avenue Line
The Columbus Avenue Line is a public transit line in Manhattan, New York City, United States, running mostly along Columbus Avenue, 116th Street, and Lenox Avenue from Lower Manhattan to Harlem. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M7 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority...
ended, and ran along Columbus Avenue, 109th Street, Manhattan Avenue
Manhattan Avenue
Manhattan Avenue is the name of two streets in New York City.-Brooklyn:Manhattan Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. It is the major shopping street in Greenpoint while it is mostly residential in Williamsburg...
, 116th Street
116th Street (Manhattan)
116th Street runs from Riverside Drive, overlooking the Hudson River, to the East River, through the New York City borough of Manhattan. It traverses the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Harlem, and Spanish Harlem; the street is interrupted between Morningside Heights and Harlem by Morningside...
, and Lenox Avenue to the river (148th Street). Franchises for the tracks other than on Lenox Avenue had been granted to the Lexington Avenue and Pavonia Ferry Railroad in 1892 and the Columbus and Ninth Avenue Railroad in 1894. The Metropolitan soon decided that it would convert all of its lines to the conduit system, being less costly than cable traction. The Lenox Avenue Car House, a car house and power house
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, occupied the block bounded by Lenox Avenue, Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
, and 146th and 147th Streets.
A second route was soon added, from the end of the cable-operated Lexington Avenue Line at 105th Street north on Lexington Avenue
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
, west on 116th Street, and north on Lenox Avenue. When the cable lines were electrified in 1901, they were combined with the Lenox Avenue Line, which lost its separate identity. The car house was rebuilt as a bus garage
Bus garage
A bus garage or bus depot is a building where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where Streetcars or Trams were stored, and the operation transferred to buses...
by the New York City Omnibus Corporation
New York City Omnibus Corporation
The New York City Omnibus Corporation was formed in 1926. It ran new bus services that replaced the New York Railways Corporation streetcars when they were dismantled in 1935/36. It purchased the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from The Omnibus Corporation in 1954 and renamed itself the 'Fifth Avenue...
in 1938 and 1939, and is still used by the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
as the Mother Clara Hale Depot.
By 1935, its last full year of operation, the line, operated by New York Railways
New York Railways
New York State Railways was a grouping of several large city streetcar and electric interurban systems in upstate New York. It included the city transit systems in Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Oneida and Rome, plus various interurban lines connecting those cities.The company was formed in 1909 when...
, was known as the Lexington-Lenox Avenue Line. It ran from 22nd Street and Broadway to 146th Street and Lenox Avenue, via 23rd Street, Lexington Avenue, 116th Street, and Lenox Avenue.