The Laying Out of Pelham Avenue from Fordham to Pelham Bridge in 1869

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In 1869, authorities laid out a more direct roadway from Pelham Bridge to Fordham. Known as Pelham Avenue, the roadway shortened the seven-mile circuitous route between Fordham and Pelham Bridge to a more direct distance of three miles. Below is a brief record of the planned roadway that appeared in the June 23, 1869 issue of the New York Times.

"Westchester County.

Pelham-avenue, now being laid out, and opened from Pelham bridge to the railroad depot at Fordham, will be 100 feet wide, and the Commissioners have decided to lay out a sidewalk on each side twenty feet wide; and also contemplate obtaining authority to plant shade trees along the centre of each sidewalk, and form a sloping lawn of the sidewalk between the shade trees and the gutter or edge of the carriage road. The distance between Fordham and Pelham bridge by the present circuitous route is about seven miles, while by the new avenue, it will be less than three miles, and will also open a new, and much shorter route to City Island."

Source: Westchester County, N.Y. Times, Jun. 23, 1869, p. 2, col. 5.

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