Annadale
Eltingville is a Staten Island Railway station located in the center of this neighborhood of Staten Island. It is confusingly, not at the same location of the bus only Eltingville Transit Center which is a bus only park and ride (over 400 free surface parking spaces) and transfer facility located 1.3 miles north of the station. This transit station, which opened in 2004, is the location of the only MetroCard Vending Machines outside of St. George.
The focus of this website is on railroad stations not bus-only transit centers and for the railroad, Eltingville is a station located primarily on an embankment with earthen sides elevated above nearby streets. The year 1939 is engraved on the sides of the concrete retaining walls of the embankment. The station has two side platforms for the two-track line. These platforms each have two canopy structures, one at the southern end and one towards the middle of each platform. These are each painted orange with tan colored support beams and cover about half a train car length. They cover glass tile walls for windscreens.
The main station entrances (and only entrance to the St. George-bound platform) is at the southern end of the platforms. Along the north side of Richmond Avenue, nestled beneath the railroad bridge over Richmond Avenue, is a small brick station house, with a more modern looking painted brown roof. This roof contains unique white lettering that says Eltingville station above the doors on each side of the building. On each side of the station house is intricate designs (including fake columns) in the concrete work. I believe this is where the platform entrances were through little tunnels before the station’s 1980s rebuilding. In the 1980s rebuilding a modern staircase was built up each platform, these are on the far sides of the original station house and concrete wall of the embankment along Richmond Avenue. These staircases each have modern canopy structures above them with little glass orb skylights above the two intermediate ladings, including one where the staircase curves 90 degrees towards each platform. At the landings where the steps curve 90 degrees are small orb-looking roof structures.
The Tottenville platform only has another entrance in the middle of the platform by the canopy structure in the middle of the platform. This modern staircase, with the same design as the main entrance, leads up from Eltingville Blvd, just before it curves away from the railway (leaving the dead end street Coryn Court). The entrance has two intermediate landings, at both, the direction of the stairs shifts 90 degrees.
Photos 1-19: June 20, 2008;
