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Roslyn station (LIRR)

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Coordinates: 40°47′27″N 73°38′36″W / 40.79072°N 73.64327°W / 40.79072; -73.64327
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Not to be confused with North Roslyn (LIRR station).
Roslyn
The station house at the Roslyn station
General information
LocationLincoln Avenue & Railroad Avenue
Roslyn Heights, NY
Coordinates40°47′27″N 73°38′36″W / 40.79072°N 73.64327°W / 40.79072; -73.64327
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Oyster Bay Branch
Distance22.2 mi (35.7 km) from Long Island City[1]
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsLocal Transit Nassau Inter-County Express: n23, n27, n40X
Local Transit OurBus
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeRSN
Fare zone7
History
OpenedJanuary 23, 1865
Rebuilt1887, 1988, 1997
Passengers
2012–14968 per weekday[2]
Rank78 out of 126
Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Albertson
toward Penn Station or Long Island City
 Oyster Bay Branch Greenvale
toward Oyster Bay
Former services
Preceding station Long Island
Rail Road 		Following station
Albertson
toward Mineola
 Oyster Bay Branch North Roslyn
toward Oyster Bay
Location
Map

Roslyn is a station on the Oyster Bay Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. It is located at Lincoln & Railroad Avenues, west of Roslyn Road (CR 7) and south of Warner Avenue, in Roslyn Heights, Nassau County, New York.

History

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The canopy extending from the south side of Roslyn's depot building was originally used to shelter horse-drawn carriages

19th century

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Roslyn station opened on January 23, 1865 by the Glen Cove Branch Rail Road – a subsidiary of the Long Island Rail Road, upon the completion of the line between Mineola and Glen Head.[3][4][5] The land for the railroad station was donated by Samuel Adams Warner – a prominent architect and Roslyn resident for whom Warner Avenue is named.[6]

In 1882, the LIRR attempted to extend the former Flushing and North Side Railroad main line from the Great Neck station to the Roslyn station. This proposal dates back to an F&NS subsidiary, called the "Roslyn and Huntington Railroad". The proposal ultimately failed, and that line was instead extended to Port Washington in 1898.[3][7] In the meantime, the Roslyn station was moved in 1885, in order to accommodate a new freight station; the station was rebuilt between June and July 1887.[3][8][9]

20th century

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In 1905, a second track along the Oyster Bay Branch was constructed between Albertson and Roslyn.[3][10][11]: 21  Four years later, in 1909, the second track was further extended from Roslyn to Glen Cove; the second track was constructed in anticipation of the Oyster Bay Branch being electrified past East Williston, north and east to the branch's eastern terminus in Oyster Bay.[3][10][11]: 21 

From the 1900s until the system's closure in 1920, the New York & North Shore Traction Company's Port Washington Line stopped at and served the station; the n23 bus follows much this former trolley line's route.[12][13][14]

On the evening of July 15, 1927, an Oyster Bay-bound express train struck a vehicle which had stalled in the middle of the former Orchard Street grade crossing, in front of the station.[15] The collision led to the vehicle being knocked into a telephone pole, and the two occupants of the vehicle were ejected from the impact. The driver, identified as Jacob Bolzicot, sustained critical injuries and was taken to Nassau County Hospital in Mineola. The other occupant, Catherine – Bolzicot's 4-year-old daughter, was uninjured.[15]

In 1940, the Long Island Rail Road remodeled the exterior of the station house, covering the brick façade with stucco, which resulted in public outcry.[6][16][17] Roslyn Estates resident Christopher Morley, who frequently used the station, called for the Long Island Rail Road remove the stucco and re-expose the brickwork. The Long Island Rail Road, which was looking to improve the station due to increasing ridership, soon agreed to remove the layer of stucco and re-expose the bricks – a process which was completed early that November.[6][16][17]

On the evening of May 5, 1967, a man was struck and fatally injured by an oncoming, Oyster Bay-bound train at the Roslyn station while he was crossing the tracks.[18] The victim, identified as Greenvale resident Hugh O'Rourke, was on his way home at the time of the incident. O'Rourke was transported to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where he was pronounced deceased from his injuries.[18]

The station house was restored to its 19th-century origins in 1981, during a major restoration project.[3][10][17] The Roslyn Landmark Society assisted in the restoration project, and donated many of the materials used.[3][10]

Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the area surrounding the station underwent a large-scale urban renewal project.[19][20][21][22] As part of the project, a number of derelict buildings – in addition to portions of the abandoned freight yard – were demolished and replaced with a 250-car parking lot for the station. The project also saw the station be moved to the south side of Lincoln Avenue; the historic station house was moved to this new location in 1988, where it continues to stand today.[19][22][23][24] When the station was moved to its current location, the Village of Roslyn expressed interest in moving the station's historic platform shelter into Roslyn's downtown to ensure its preservation; the structure, by that time, was used as a taxi stand.[25] The shelter, built in 1928, was moved in 1987 to the site of the Captain Jacob M. Kirby Storehouse on Main Street, where it remains standing as a garden house.[25]

In 1997, in anticipation of the LIRR's fleet of C3 bilevel railcars entering service, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority once again reconstructed the station by replacing the low-level platforms with high-level ones, allowing for level boarding and making the station ADA-compliant.[3][23]

21st century

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Between 2016 and 2017, the station's parking lot was re-striped and received additional parking spaces.[26][27] The project was carried out by the Town of North Hempstead, which owns and maintains the parking lot.[26][27][28]

In 2020, the Town of North Hempstead received a $150,000 grant from Nassau County to construct a pathway connecting the station's east end to the residential area adjacent to it; as no connection existed there between the street & platform, despite the street being adjacent to the Oyster Bay-bound platform, residents were required to walk north multiple blocks to access the station at its north end.[29]

Transit-oriented development

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In 2021, the Village of Roslyn approved plans to construct a mixed-use, transit-oriented development on Warner Avenue, adjacent to the station, on the site of an older, single-story shopping strip.[30][31] This transit-oriented development, known as Bryant Plaza, includes 54 rental apartments, in addition to 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of retail space below the apartments.[30][31] It was developed by JK Equities in conjunction with Century Realty Investors, and the building was designed by Mojo Stumer Associates.[31]

Station layout

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The station as viewed from the south end of Platform A, looking north

The Roslyn station is at-grade. It has two high-level side platforms, each being long enough to accommodate four train cars.

M Mezzanine Crossover between platforms
P

Platform level

Platform A, side platform Disabled access
Track 1 ←      Oyster Bay Branch toward Jamaica, Long Island City, or Penn Station (Albertson)
Track 2      Oyster Bay Branch toward Oyster Bay (Greenvale) →
Platform B, side platform Disabled access
Ground level Exit/entrance, parking lot, station house, and buses

Parking

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Free parking is available on the west side of the station.[28] The station's parking lot is operated and maintained by the Town of North Hempstead.[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Long Island Rail Road (May 14, 2012). "Timetable No. 4" (PDF). p. VI. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "2012–2014 LIRR Origin and Destination Report : Volume I: Travel Behavior Among All LIRR Passengers" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 23, 2016. PDF pp. 15, 199. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Morrison, David D.; Pakaluk, Valerie (2003). Long Island Rail Road Stations. Chicago: Arcadia. p. 57. ISBN 0-7385-1180-3. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Seyfried, Vincent. "The Long Island Rail Road: The Age of Expansion, 1863-1880". digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org. p. 203. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Forging Connections: The early history of Roslyn Station and the Long Island Rail Road | News | Roslyn Landmark Society". www.roslynlandmarks.org. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Trying to Save Roslyn Station". Newsday. March 10, 1972. p. 32.
  7. ^ Walsh, Kevin (May 16, 2002). "Port Washington Branch Part 2 Auburndale to Port Washington". Forgotten New York. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "Roslyn Railroad Station | Profiles | Roslyn Landmark Society". www.roslynlandmarks.org. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  9. ^ 1937 Image of Roslyn station with freight house on the opposite side of the tracks
  10. ^ a b c d Morrison, David D. (March 5, 2018). Long Island Rail Road: Oyster Bay Branch. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467128544.
  11. ^ a b "The Long Island Railroad Twenty-Eighth Annual Report For The Year Ending December 31st, 1909". Report of ..., Trustee[S] of the Property of the Debtor, for the Year Ended ...1949–1953. Long Island Railroad Company.
  12. ^ Seyfried, Vincent F. (1956). New York & North Shore Traction Company; Trolleys in: Whitestone, Flushing, Bayside, Roslyn, Pt. Washington, Mineola [and] Hicksville. Orlando, Florida: F. E. Reifschneider.
  13. ^ "Nassau Inter-County Express - Maps and Schedules". nicebus.com. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Train Smashed Auto at Roslyn Crossing; Driver Is Seriously Hurt, but 4- Year-Old Daughter Escapes Uninjured – Other Accidents". The New York Times. July 16, 1927. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Morley Wins Fight For Oldtime Deoot". Newsday. November 13, 1940. p. 21.
  17. ^ a b c Philips, Evelyn (October 25, 1981). "Landmark Station Repaired". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Train Kills Worker On Roslyn Tracks". Newsday. May 6, 1967. p. 9.
  19. ^ a b Philips, Evelyn (November 20, 1988). "A 'New' Roslyn Is Emerging". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "L.I. Town Seeking Renewal Grant; U.S. Is Asked for $263,389 by North Hempstead". The New York Times. October 16, 1966. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "School Board Fears Decay Of the Roslyn Station Plaza". Newsday. February 8, 1966. p. 27.
  22. ^ a b "Remodeling Job Coming". Newsday. March 23, 1966. pp. 13C.
  23. ^ a b Staff, Roslyn News (August 14, 2023). "Riding The Rails of Roslyn | Roslyn News". Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. ^ LIRR Station History (TrainsAreFun.com) Archived 2017-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ a b "Roslyn Railroad Station Passenger Shelter | Profiles | Roslyn Landmark Society". www.roslynlandmarks.org. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Now, The Island (December 31, 2016). "North Hempstead adds 25 more spaces to Roslyn LIRR parking lot". The Island Now. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Camurati, Amelia (November 14, 2017). "Roslyn LIRR station gains 34 new parking spots". The Island Now. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  28. ^ a b c "Parking, Bus, and Taxi Information" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  29. ^ Adams, Mike (February 12, 2020). "County Grants $150,000 For Train Station Walkway". Roslyn News. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Winzelberg, David (April 12, 2021). "Roslyn mixed-use project gets approval from village {". Long Island Business News. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  31. ^ a b c Prisco, Julie (September 17, 2024). "Roslyn's Bryant Plaza begins leasing". www.longislandpress.com. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
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