Taking A Ride Back To The Myrtle Avenue El Rusting away above the Myrtle Avenue-Broadway station on the J and M lines in Bushwick is a reminder of the first major commuter train that linked Ridgewood and surrounding communities to the business hubs of Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. The last steel trusses of the old and the former Lutheran Line Myrtle Avenue Elevated Line (named for the nearby cemetery) (El) tower over Myrtle Avenue to its terminus at Metropolitan from Lewis Avenue in Avenue in Middle Village. neighboring Bedford-Stuyvesant At first, heavy steam to the curvy spur where M trains locomotives pulled the Myrtle shift between the elevated Avenue El trains. By 1900, the Broadway Line and the existing entire line was electrified via Myrtle Avenue Line that runs third rail technology. This through Bushwick and enabled the BRT to introduce Ridgewood to Metropolitan lighter train cars capable of Avenue in Middle Village. crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Trains last ran on the Myrtle Thus, a rail line was constructed Avenue El in October 1969, in Downtown Brooklyn running which—by that point— the Myrtle Avenue El over the deteriorated greatly from famed bridge to Park Row in overuse, neglect and urban Lower Manhattan, which became decline. Nonetheless, it played an the line’s western terminus. important role in accelerating the Raising it in Ridgewood transition of our neighborhood In early February 1913, the from rural to urban life, spurring city’s Public Service the construction of communities Commission announced that it filled with apartment houses, had granted the BRT permission single-family homes and small to elevate the 1 1/2-mile section businesses that remain vibrant to of the Myrtle Avenue Line from this day. Wyckoff Avenue to just east of Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT, Fresh Pond Road. This was done later reorganized as Brooklyn to eliminate some of the Manhattan Transit BMT) congestion at the Ridgewood developed the Myrtle Avenue El, depot at the corner of Myrtle and with the first section opening in Wyckoff avenues. April 1888. At first, it was a Prior to this, there were lowlevel shuttle line connecting Adams stations at Seneca Avenue, Street in Downtown Brooklyn to Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill. Development of the line continued into Queens in 1890, when it reached Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood. From there, the Myrtle Avenue El moved to ground level and ran through Ridgewood along Palmetto Street Forest Avenue, Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue. From Wyckoff Avenue to Fresh Pond Road, the at-grade railroad was fenced in on each side and the only crossings were at the stations. Shortly thereafter, the BRT placed contracts with Frederick 25 • TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 Decades ago, Middle Village residents could travel to Downtown Manhattan on rail directly from their neighborhood by picking up the MJ train at the Metropolitan Avenue station. Here’s how the station looked circa January 1973. (photo: Patrick Cullinan) C. Burnham to build the 1 1/2- mile elevated railroad, but one of the conditions was that he had to do so while maintaining service on the railroad to Metropolitan Avenue so as to not inconvenience local residents. In turn, the Manhattan-based Burnham hired various subcontractors including Million Brothers Company to erect the steel and Empire Construction Company to lay the steel rails when the steel structure was completed. Prior to the erection of the new elevated section, a dangerous reverse curve led the trains from the elevated level to the ground level at Myrtle and Wyckoff avenues, across from the car yards. This was eliminated and replaced by a single curve from Myrtle Avenue into Palmetto Street. By May 1914, all of the concrete had been poured and about 35 percent of the steel work had been completed. In September 1914, the Empire Construction Company started laying rails. On Feb. 15, 1915, the new section of the elevated railroad was placed into service from Wyckoff Avenue to Fresh Pond Road. Shortly thereafter, the private right-of-way on the surface of Palmetto Street was made available for electric trolley service. The Fresh Pond Storage and Service Yards were enlarged on the east side of Fresh Pond Road at Putnam Avenue to hold 700 cars. The BRT purchased additional land at a $20,000 cost to accomplish this. They also built a concrete clubhouse for the trainmen as the move to switch some of the trolley lines that had formerly terminated at Ridgewood Depot to Fresh Pond Depot. The lost stations Later dubbed the MJ line, the Myrtle Avenue El ran on the current M line between Metropolitan Avenue and Central Avenue in Bushwick, then continued above Myrtle Avenue to Bridge-Jay Street. Along the way, it served the communities of Bedford- Stuyvesant, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, with stops located at Broadway (above the Myrtle Avenue J train station), Sumner Avenue, Tompkins Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Franklin Avenue, Grand Avenue, Washington Avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue and Navy Street. For decades, residents used the line to not only businesses in downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan, but also the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which—during World War II—employed 70,000 people. Students also relied on the Myrtle Avenue El to reach schools such as St. Joseph’s College and Bishop Loughlin High School, both in Clinton Hill. End of the line Many factors led to the Myrtle Avenue El’s downfall. One of the first occurred during the late 1930s, when the underground G line opened between Brooklyn and Queens. The Crosstown Line, as it is called, served many of the same communities as the Myrtle Avenue El and offered an important north-to-south link to other subway lines and points of interest. The El suffered another blow in 1944, when the BMT ended its trips across the Brooklyn Bridge. The line then terminated at Bridge-Jay Street. New York City began to decline financially during the 1950s and 1960s, as waterfront industry fled and middle-class residents left the city for the suburbs. The state and federal governments also invested tens of millions of dollars in constructing expressways bisecting the boroughs—but provided little to support the city’s transit system. In its last few years, the Myrtle Avenue El became symbolic of public transit decay. It was the only line still using wooden passenger train cars; modern steel cars were used everywhere else in the subway system. The elevated stations— many of which were still lined with wood plank platforms—also deteriorated greatly. This announcement from the New York City Transit Authority, posted on trains, at stations and in print media, advised customers of the Myrtle Avenue El’s closing in October 1969. The elevated train ran from Broadway in Bushwick to Bridge-Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Now covered in cement, the platform between the tracks at the Metropolitan Avenue station in Middle Village were originally lined with wooden planks, similar to a beach boardwalk. (photo: Patrick Cullinan) -SEE OLD TIMER ON PG. 60-
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