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Getty Square is the name for downtown Yonkers, New York, centered on the public square. Getty Square is the civic center, central business district, and transit hub of the City of Yonkers. A dense and growing residential area, it is located in southern Westchester County, New York. The square is named after prominent 19th-century merchant Robert Getty.
The square is named for Robert Parkhill Getty, a prominent merchant and civic leader in the 1800s. [1] The area was the heart of a Dutch patroonship granted to the first lawyer in the New World, Adriaen van der Donck, who built both saw and grist mills on what was then the Saeck Kill, [2] [3] later to become the Nepperhan River and today's Saw Mill.
Getty Square's two oldest, still-standing buildings, Philipse Manor Hall (circa 1682) and St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church (built 1752 by Frederick Philipse III), were built in close proximity to the river. The Hudson River, bordering the western waterfront of Getty Square, provided a transportation route to markets beginning in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 increased water-borne traffic from upstate New York down the Hudson to Manhattan.
In 1853, Elisha Graves Otis, inventor of the safety elevator, established the Otis Elevator Company on the Hudson River and Vark Street, along the new railroad tracks that ran along the Hudson's banks. As the company grew, a larger facility was built just north of the Saw Mill River, what is now Van der Donck Park. Vast Otis factory buildings covering blocks of land extended north to Ashburton Avenue.
Later, three separate railroad companies established lines through Getty Square. The New York and Putnam Railroad built the terminal for its Yonkers Branch line in Getty Square, with the original 1880s headhouse and train shed station in the square later upgraded to an office building and railway platform at 20 South Broadway. (The office building remains, but the railway platform has been replaced by a parking garage.) The New York Central Railroad operated out of the still-in-use Yonkers train station. The Third Avenue Railway trolley company ran multiple streetcar lines through Getty Square, and stored its streetcars (also called trams) in the still-standing Yonkers Trolley Barn on Main Street in Getty Square.
Like many downtowns in the northeastern United States, Getty Square suffered gradual and severe de-industrialization and non-automobile infrastructure disinvestment beginning after World War II. The Otis Elevator Company factory, with vast buildings covering much of the Getty Square neighborhood north of what is now Van der Donck Park, closed in 1983. Rail-based transportation also diminished. The closing and quick demolition of the Yonkers Branch of the New York and Putnam Railroad, despite an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, [4] occurred in 1944, [5] and the Third Avenue Railway trolley service finally ended in 1952. The Saw Mill River, once the economic engine of Getty Square, was buried in flumes underground in the 1920s; the pavement above was used mostly for car parking lots at Chicken Island, Mill Street Courtyard, and Larkin Plaza. New York State widened Nepperhan Avenue to create an arterial highway along the eastern side of the neighborhood, demolishing a Carnegie library in the process. [6]
The farmers' market at St. John's Church is the oldest in Westchester. [7]
The reconstituting of the vacant Otis Elevator Factory campus into the iPark corporate business center spurred an influx of advanced industrial initiatives. Capitalizing on the iPark location connected to the existing rail network, Kawasaki Heavy Industries brought its railcar assembly plant to Getty Square. In 2011, iPark installed the largest solar-panel array in Westchester on its roof to provide low-cost electricity to its manufacturing tenants. [8] In 2011, ContraFect, a biotechnology firm, relocated from Manhattan to Getty Square's iPark, [9] followed in 2013 by Mindspark Interactive Network. Also in 2013, the YONY initiative to spur increased technology company activity began. [10]
In 2007, the Science Barge, a solar and wind-powered demonstration farm, using hydroponics and aquaculture, docked at its permanent home next to the train station at the mouth of the Saw Mill River. The Science Barge draws thousands of researchers and students in the STEM fields, environmental science, and agriculture to Getty Square from around the world, and has been featured by the news media as far as Brazil, Japan and South Korea. In 2013, Sarah Lawrence College established an academic research center at the existing Beczak Environmental Center.
The Saw Mill River, the catalyst for Yonkers' initial economic growth in the 17th century, is again being used as an economic engine. Long buried underground in Getty Square, in 2012, the City of Yonkers and Groundwork Yonkers completed the "daylighting" of the Saw Mill River and construction of Van der Donck Park around it just east of the Yonkers train station. The park, featuring public amenities and wildlife elements, has become an international showpiece.
Van der Donck Park was the first phase of daylighting the river in Getty Square. The second phase, the Mill Street Courtyard project to be constructed in 2014, will daylight another portion of the river in a Getty Square block bounded by Warburton Avenue (west), North Broadway (east), Manor House Lane (north), and Main Street (south). [11] [12] The third daylighting phase, near Chicken Island, does not yet have a start date, although New York State awarded a $1.08 million grant for the project at the end of 2013. [13]
Getty Square is a bustling, multi-ethnic shopping district [14] with very high numbers of shoppers compared with other Westchester downtowns (See Intermodal Transit Hub section below.) With significant cohorts of along with many ethnic groups, businesses benefit from an international customer base, including African-American and Latino customers. [15]
Farmers' markets and the CSA operate seasonally: St. John's Episcopal Church holds its market on Thursdays at the church; and Groundwork holds its market on Fridays in Van der Donck Park, across the street from the Yonkers train station. [16] The St. John's Church's market is the oldest farmers market in Westchester. [7] The CSA is operated by Groundwork. [17] At all the markets and the CSA, produce can be purchased using government assistance programs. [18] [19]
Retail and business banking thrives in Getty Square. Branches of all the major national banks are present, including: Chase with two branches, Wells Fargo, Citibank, HSBC, and Bank of America. Branches of regional banks and credit unions include: Atlantic Bank & Trust, Hudson Valley Bank, [20] KeyBank, and Municipal Credit Union.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company is located in the Central Business District. [21]
Getty Square's heavy pedestrian foot traffic is bolstered by its role as a key transit hub of Yonkers and Westchester. Bee-Line buses, MTA express buses, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak converge in Getty Square, and connections are often little more than a few blocks.
Getty Square achieves a Walk Score of 95 out of 100, making it a "Walker's Paradise" where "daily errands do not require a car." [22] Getty Square's WalkScore is the highest of any neighborhood in Westchester, making it one of the best places in the County to be car-free. [22]
The combination of walkability and a transit hub has spurred transit-oriented development, with zoning changes to promote less car travel and more walking, cycling, and transit use. [23] [24]
Many of the bus routes provide direct connections to the New York City Subway.
Bee-Line Bus and MTA Express Bus serve Getty Square. Ridership on buses dwarfs that of commuter rail. Annual bus ridership on lines in Getty Square numbers in the millions, with Yonkers being the largest origin and destination for bus trips in the Bee-Line Bus service area of Westchester and the northern Bronx. [25] In addition to the thru-running buses, loop route bus lines circulate through Getty Square and adjoining neighborhoods. The MTA Express Bus lines provide direct transportation to midtown Manhattan (via Route BxM3). Metro Card is accepted on buses serving Getty Square. [26]
Bus routes in Getty Square may be expanded in the future. As part of the transit plan for the Tappan Zee Bridge Replacement, a proposed express bus route from Spring Valley in Rockland County would have Getty Square as its final destination. [27] [28]
Metro-North Railroad serves Getty Square. Rail riders use Getty Square's Beaux-Arts Yonkers station to board Hudson Line and Amtrak trains. Metro-North provides trips south to stations in the Bronx and to Harlem–125th Street, and Grand Central Terminal, and to the north to stations along the Hudson Line as far as Poughkeepsie.
Many Metro North commuters travel to the Marble Hill station, connecting to the New York City Subway's Marble Hill–225th Street station (1train) to reach destinations on the west side of Manhattan, or travel to the Harlem–125th Street station, connecting to the 125th Street ( 4 , 5 , 6 , and <6> trains) for Manhattan's east side.
Amtrak serves Getty Square. The Yonkers train station is the sole southern Westchester station on the Amtrak Hudson River Line, providing an Inter-city rail link to US and Canadian cities like Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Montreal, and Toronto.
Taxi stands sit at the heart of Getty Square along New Main Street, and at the Yonkers Train Station. Taxis are often used by shoppers with large packages.
Car sharing Zipcars are available near the Yonkers Train Station since 2012. [29]
Ferry service ended in 2010 between Yonkers and other points in New York City and the Hudson Valley. [30] Boat docking is permitted at the Yonkers Pier. [31]
Bicycles are used frequently in Getty Square, mostly for transportation as opposed to recreation. Many businesses use them for fast local deliveries. Children use them to get around. Warburton Avenue and Riverdale Avenue, which meet in Getty Square, are well-used, Westchester bicycling commuting routes.
Walking and bicycling trails in Getty Square are still on the drawing board. The Old Croton Aqueduct runs along the northern edge of the Getty Square neighborhood, although two blocks of path are on-street at Ashburton Avenue. The Hudson River Valley Greenway, not yet built in Yonkers, may combine portions of the Hudson River waterfront promenade with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway. [32] A concept to turn the former Getty Square branch of the New York and Putnam Railroad into a trail has been proposed. It would connect Getty Square and the waterfront promenade at the Science Barge with Van Cortlandt Park. It would be an urban multi-use path with both on- and off-street portions. [33]
Yonkers is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York and the most-populous city in Westchester County. A centrally located municipality within the New York metropolitan area, Yonkers had a population of 211,569 at the 2020 United States census. Yonkers is classified as an inner suburb of New York City, immediately north of the Bronx and approximately 2.4 miles (4 km) north of Marble Hill.
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2021, its population rose to an estimated 11,456. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh. The village ZIP Code is 10522. Most of the village falls within the boundaries of the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District.
Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. Roughly one square mile, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Elmsford was 4,664.
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line. To the north of Tarrytown is the village of Sleepy Hollow, to the south the village of Irvington and to the east unincorporated parts of Greenburgh. The Tappan Zee Bridge crosses the Hudson at Tarrytown, carrying the New York State Thruway to South Nyack, Rockland County and points in Upstate New York. The population was 11,860 at the 2020 census.
Pennsylvania Station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers per weekday as of 2019. The station is located beneath Madison Square Garden in the block bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets and in the James A. Farley Building, with additional exits to nearby streets, in Midtown Manhattan. It is close to several popular Manhattan locations, including Herald Square, the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy's Herald Square.
Yonkers station is a Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak railroad station located near Getty Square in Yonkers, New York. It is served by Metro-North Hudson Line commuter rail service and five Amtrak intercity services. The station building was constructed in 1911–1912, replacing an older structure.
Fordham station, also known as Fordham–East 190th Street station, is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem and New Haven Lines, serving Fordham Plaza in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. The platforms are situated just below street level and feature two expanded side platforms that serve eight cars each, on the outer tracks. The station building sits above the tracks on the Fordham Road overpass, and still bears the name New York Central Railroad on its facade. The station is among the busiest rail stations in the Bronx.
The Journal Square Transportation Center is a multi-modal transportation hub located on Magnolia Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard at Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the complex includes a ten-story tower, a retail plaza, a bus terminal, a two-level parking facility, and the Journal Square station of the PATH rail transit system. The underground station has a high ceiling and a mezzanine level connecting the platforms.
White Plains station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line, located in White Plains, New York. With 9,166 daily commuters as of 2006, White Plains is the busiest Metro-North station in Westchester County, the busiest non-terminal or transfer station on the Metro-North system, and the first/last stop outside New York City on most upper Harlem Line express trains.
The New York and Putnam Railroad, nicknamed the Old Put, was a railroad line that operated between the Bronx and Brewster in New York State. It was in close proximity to the Hudson River Railroad and New York and Harlem Railroad. All three came under ownership of the New York Central system in 1894. The railroad was abandoned starting in 1958, and most of the former roadbed has been converted to rail trail use.
The Saw Mill River Parkway is a limited-access parkway that extends for 29.83 miles (48.01 km) through Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the border between Westchester County and the Bronx, as the continuation of the Henry Hudson Parkway leaving New York City, and heads generally northeastward to an interchange with Interstate 684 (I-684). At its north end, the parkway serves as a collector/distributor road as it passes east of the hamlet of Katonah. The parkway is named for the Saw Mill River, which the highway parallels for most of its length.
Park Hill is a neighborhood in southwestern Yonkers, New York. The neighborhood is located atop a bluff east of South Broadway.
The Saw Mill River is a 23.5-mile (37.8 km) tributary of the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York, United States. It flows from an unnamed pond north of Chappaqua to Getty Square in Yonkers, where it empties into the Hudson as that river's southernmost tributary. It is the only major stream in southern Westchester County to drain into the Hudson instead of Long Island Sound. It drains an area of 26.5 square miles (69 km2), most of it heavily developed suburbia. For 16 miles (26 km), it flows parallel to the Saw Mill River Parkway, a commuter artery, an association that has been said to give the river an "identity crisis."
The Third Avenue Railway System (TARS), founded 1852, was a streetcar system serving the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx along with lower Westchester County. For a brief period of time, TARS also operated the Steinway Lines in Long Island City.
The South County Trailway is a 14.1-mile (22.7 km) long rail trail stretching from the Putnam Trail in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to the North County Trailway in East View, New York. Westchester County Parks constructed the trailway in segments beginning in 1990 and completed it on October 31, 2017.
The former Yonkers Trolley Barn is located on Main Street in Yonkers, New York, United States. It is a massive steel frame brick building in the Renaissance Revival style built at the beginning of the 20th century. In 2002 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the last remaining trolley barn in Westchester County and the only remnant of Yonkers' trolley system.
Tibbetts Brook, originally Tippett's Brook or Tibbitt's Brook, is a stream in the southern portion of mainland New York, flowing north to south from the city of Yonkers in Westchester County into the borough of the Bronx within New York City. Originally emptying into Spuyten Duyvil Creek as part of the Harlem River system, the stream is now partially subterranean, ending above ground at the south end of Van Cortlandt Lake within Van Cortlandt Park. There it proceeds into city sewers, draining into either the northern end of the Harlem River or the Wards Island Water Pollution Control Plant. The brook provides significant watershed to both Van Cortlandt Park at its south end and Tibbetts Brook Park at its north end. There have been modern proposals to daylight the southern portion of the brook back onto the surface.
Hudson Link is a bus service operating between several locations in Rockland County and Westchester County, in New York. It replaced the former Tappan Zee Express bus, which ran between White Plains, Tarrytown, and Suffern. The bus is operated by Transdev under contract to the New York State Department of Transportation.
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