New Paltz station

New Paltz
The station, depicted after its 1907 reconstruction
General information
Location	5 Main Street, New Paltz, New York 12561[1]
Coordinates	41°44′49″N 74°05′20″W / 41.746837°N 74.088954°W / 41.746837; -74.088954
Owned by	Richard Ronkese
Construction
Parking	18 spots[2]
History
Opened	December 20, 1870; 153 years ago (1870-12-20)
Closed	December 1958; 65 years ago (1958-12)
Rebuilt	1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Springtown toward Kingston Wallkill Valley Branch Forest Glen toward Montgomery

New Paltz station is a former train station^{[note 1]} in the village of New Paltz in Ulster County, New York. The building was the first of two railroad stations constructed in the town of New Paltz, and it is the only former Wallkill Valley Railroad station standing at its original location.

After a lengthy public debate over whether to place the station to the east or west of the Wallkill River, it was built in 1870 on the east bank, within the village of New Paltz. The rail line was formally opened during a large ceremony on December 20, 1870. A decade later the station had become a popular departure point for the Mohonk Mountain House by many vacationers, including two U.S. presidents. In the late 19th century, over a dozen stagecoaches ran between the station and Mohonk daily.

The station burned down in 1907 and was rebuilt later that year. The rise of the automobile caused the railroad to end passenger service in 1937; by 1959 the station was completely closed and sold off. After closure, it was used for a variety of businesses, including serving as a public-access television station. Freight service along the Wallkill Valley line continued until 1977, when the corridor was shut to regular rail traffic.

The building was in such a state of disrepair by the 1980s that it was almost demolished, and the nearby tracks were torn up and sold for scrap by 1984. However, the station avoided demolition and was renovated in 1988. It was used as a real estate office, and the rail corridor itself was formally opened five years later as the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. In 1999, the station building reopened as Italian restaurant. The building was expanded in 2003 and served as the setting for a scene in a 2008 mob film.

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