Country Life Press station

The Country Life Press station is a Long Island Rail Road within the village of Garden City, New York. It serves trains on the Hempstead Branch and is located on Damson Street and St. James Street South.

Country Life Press
The Country Life Press station in 2017
General information
LocationSt. James Street South, between Chestnut Street & Damson Street
Garden City, New York
Coordinates40°43′16″N 73°37′46″W / 40.721234°N 73.629405°W / 40.721234; -73.629405
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Hempstead Branch
Distance19.0 mi (30.6 km) from Long Island City[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
Opened1911
ElectrifiedMay 26, 1908[2]
750 V (DC) third rail
Passengers
20061,236[3]
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Garden City Hempstead Branch Hempstead
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road
Following station
West Hempstead West Hempstead Branch Stewart Avenue
toward Mineola
Terminus Garden City–Mitchel Field Secondary Clinton Road
toward Bethpage
Location
Map

History

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The station was originally opened in 1911 for the sole purpose of serving the book publisher Doubleday, Page & Company, which had moved in 1910 from Manhattan to Garden City, where co-founder and vice-president Walter Hines Page lived. It is named for the publisher's "Country Life Press" that was located across the tracks.[4]

Country Life Press station has some former rights-of-way that led to the West Hempstead and the Oyster Bay Branches.[5] It also included the remnants of the Central Branch of the Long Island Rail Road that terminated near Nassau Coliseum.

In 2022, the Long Island Rail Road announced plans to demolish the station house, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, and replacing it with a landscaped plaza.[6][7][8] That December, the Village of Garden City's officials, through a 7-1 vote, opted through resolution not to attempt saving the structure, given safety concerns – many of which were raised by members of the community – and the poor state of the structure.[8]

Station layout

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The station has one 10-car-long side platform located on the east side of the single track. A pedestrian underpass provides access between the west and east sides of the track, and connects the west side with the station platform.[citation needed]

Side platform, doors will open on the left or right  
Track 1      Hempstead Branch toward Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal, or Penn Station (Garden City)

     Hempstead Branch toward Hempstead (Terminus)

References

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  1. ^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "TIMETABLE No. 4" (PDF). p. VI. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "Hurrah at Hempstead Over the Third Rail". The Brooklyn Times Union. May 20, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Average weekday, 2006 LIRR Origin and Destination Study
  4. ^ Hempstead Branch Stations (Unofficial LIRR history Website)[usurped]
  5. ^ Mineola to West Hempstead Branch (Unofficial LIRR History Web Site)[usurped]
  6. ^ Costello, Alex (December 13, 2022). "Garden City To Decide Fate Of Country Life Press LIRR Building". Garden City, NY Patch. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Fate of Country Life Press Station To Be Decided - Village Notifications and Alerts - Incorporated Village of Garden City". www.gardencityny.net. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Massand, Rikki (December 23, 2022). "Village opts not to save Country Life Press station". Garden City News. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
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  Media related to Country Life Press (LIRR station) at Wikimedia Commons