The other major project completed by Bronx authorities was the Nereid Avenue Viaduct. The structure, according to the Yonkers Herald, was "one of the most imposing in design of the many bridges in the metropolis." The viaduct was comprised of ten reinforced-concrete arches extending from Webster and McLean Avenues to Nereid and Bullard Avenues on the other side of the parkway. The 60'-wide roadbed was paved with granite blocks and it had 10' sidewalks on each side. The project was approved by the NYC-BEA as early as 1917 when the Public Service Commission was asked to study a means by which to cross the New York Central Railroad and New Haven Railroad tracks. As with the East 233rd Street project, the railroad companies refused to pay for any portion of the viaduct cost. A 1918 court decision determined that the railroad companies would have to share in the expense. In 1924, an appeals court reaffirmed the decision and ordered the companies to pay one-half of the project cost, with the city covering the remaining half. The NYC-BEA gave final approval for the Nereid Avenue Viaduct in 1929. The bridge was probably completed in 1931.(290)

The WCPC was responsible for constructing two other significant structures along the parkway: the Westchester County Center in White Plains and the Harney Road service stations. The Westchester County Center was located just west of the parkway drive in White Plains, and it was sited on BRPR land to provide a centralized and accessible meeting place for county residents. It was designed by Walker and Gillette and completed in 1930. The 100,000 square foot building featured an auditorium with a seating capacity of 5,000. The center, managed by the Westchester County Recreation Commission, hosted music and other festivals, athletic events, and various expositions. The large and highly visible Art Deco building represented a distinct departure from the established policy of subordinating structures to the landscape and employing rustic design motifs to harmonize them with the parkway’s naturalistic aesthetics. The gas stations, built in 1935, were designed by Penrose V. Stout to match the parkway’s rustic architecture.(291) The east station was reconstructed around 1972 after a flood in the area. An explosion resulting from gas fumes and electricity caused the building to be destroyed again.


 

(290)"New Bridge at McLean Heights Opens Today," Yonkers Herald, no date, circa 1931.
(291)Westchester County Park Commission, Report, 1929, 38; U.S. Department of the Interior, Bronx River Parkway Reservation National Register Nomination, 1990, Section 7, page 3.

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