Ninth Ave El

It wasn’t until recent years that I became obsessed with the Bronx. I was born and raised here, but I knew very little about the borough I called home.

Over 10 years ago, before I became interested in Bronx factoids, I visited a friend on Jerome Avenue (near Anderson Avenue). My friend explained that the remnants of the 9th Ave El were adjacent to the building. I just wasn’t interested.

Several years later, the Bronx is all I want to know about, talk about, research and share.   Hence, I revisited the site.

Turns out that when sport teams played at the Polo Grounds, the 9th Ave El had two stops in the Bronx – Sedgwick Avenue and Jerome-Anderson Aves. These train stations shuttled many Bronxites to sport games. But after the stadium was demolished, the stations were no longer in use and eventually closed.

remnants of the Jerome/Anderson Avenue train station - Ninth Ave el - Bronx, NY, Feb 20, 2011

The Sedgwick Ave station was located at present day Major Deegan Expressway near W. 161st Street. There is a blue pedestrian bridge at Summit Ave that leads to a stairway that is blocked off. The blocked off stairway once led passengers to and from the station. Remnants of the Sedgwick platform exist under the Deegan.

On Jerome Avenue near 162nd Street was the Jerome- Anderson Aves train station. Due to the natural hilly setting, one portion of the station was elevated while the other was underground.

In between the buildings on Jerome Avenue, directly across the street from Yankee Stadium, stands the only remnant of the station – a small platform. Due to the elevation, it cannot be seen at street level and the area is inaccessible.

Sadly enough, the area is strewn with garbage, fallen tree branches and covered in graffiti. Though an eye sore, it was still quite fascinating to stand there and look out to the new stadium.

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No signage is present, and I wonder if the business owner under the remnant of the platform knows the gem he has on the roof. It’d be wonderful for the area to be converted into a beer garden, with historical signs and old pictures, in an effort to keep Bronx history alive!

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