Hamilton Avenue Line
Encyclopedia
The Hamilton Avenue Line was a public transit line in Brooklyn
, New York City
, United States
, running mostly along Hamilton Avenue between Bay Ridge
and Hamilton Ferry at the north end of the avenue in Red Hook
. Originally a streetcar line, it was replaced by a bus route
, but is no longer operated.
s granted to the Brooklyn City Rail Road in 1853, but was added soon after. The portion south of Court Street, which was one of the original routes, opened on September 4, 1854 as part of the Court Street Line to Greenwood Cemetery
, and the rest opened in early June 1855, at first operated as a shuttle between the ferry and Court Street.
Eventually the route was operated along Third Avenue
south to the 65th Street Depot in Bay Ridge
as the 33 Hamilton line. Buses were substituted for streetcars on March 29, 1942, and the 33 designation was kept, but the route instead ran southeast from the end of Hamilton Avenue along Prospect Avenue
to Prospect Park, and around the south side of the park on a route once followed by the Franklin Avenue Line and Lorimer Street Line
, ending east of the park at Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
, near the then-Ebbets Field
. The route is no longer operated, having been discontinued in 1993; at the time of its discontinuance, its service had been reduced to rush hours only.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, running mostly along Hamilton Avenue between Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
and Hamilton Ferry at the north end of the avenue in Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
. Originally a streetcar line, it was replaced by a bus route
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
, but is no longer operated.
History
The route on Hamilton Avenue was not one of the original franchiseGovernment-granted monopoly
In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...
s granted to the Brooklyn City Rail Road in 1853, but was added soon after. The portion south of Court Street, which was one of the original routes, opened on September 4, 1854 as part of the Court Street Line to Greenwood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
, and the rest opened in early June 1855, at first operated as a shuttle between the ferry and Court Street.
Eventually the route was operated along Third Avenue
Third Avenue (Brooklyn)
Third Avenue is an important two-way avenue in Brooklyn, stretching from Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn to the foot of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at Shore Road in Bay Ridge.-Route description:...
south to the 65th Street Depot in Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
as the 33 Hamilton line. Buses were substituted for streetcars on March 29, 1942, and the 33 designation was kept, but the route instead ran southeast from the end of Hamilton Avenue along Prospect Avenue
Prospect Avenue
Prospect Avenue may refer to:*Prospect Avenue , a street that runs close to U.S. Route 71-New York City Subway stations:*Prospect Avenue , in the Bronx; serving the trains...
to Prospect Park, and around the south side of the park on a route once followed by the Franklin Avenue Line and Lorimer Street Line
Lorimer Street Line
The Lorimer Street Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running along Lorimer Street, Franklin Avenue, and Classon Avenue between Bedford–Stuyvesant and Greenpoint...
, ending east of the park at Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
Prospect Lefferts Gardens is a residential neighborhood in Flatbush in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is bounded by Empire Boulevard to the north, Clarkson Avenue to the south, New York Avenue to the east, and Ocean Avenue/Prospect Park to the west.Prospect Lefferts Gardens is...
, near the then-Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
. The route is no longer operated, having been discontinued in 1993; at the time of its discontinuance, its service had been reduced to rush hours only.