Tuesday Tour of the New Haven Line: Harrison 
If you haven’t heard me say it before, I love Arts for Transit. The artworks scattered around the various Metro-North stations are a cheerful addition to an often-repetitive morning and evening commute (possibly with the exception of North White Plains. Anyone who has seen it probably agrees with me). Several of the New York state New Haven Line stations have Arts for Transit works, and one of my new favorites is Mount Vernon East, which I posted about several weeks ago. Unfortunately, after viewing a few more NH Line stations, I have a beef with Arts for Transit. Why did we put public art in the station buildings, buildings that are closed more than they are open? Larchmont’s mosaic is completely inaccessible when the station is closed. And the best view of Harrison’s faceted glass is from the inside of the station building, though at least it can be somewhat enjoyed from the outside. Despite that, Harrison’s faceted glass does make my list of favorite Arts for Transit works. Unfortunately, the best views I got of the piece were on the artist’s website, and not in real life.
Above images are from artist Tova Snyder’s website. The original acrylic on canvas paintings are shown on top, and their faceted glass counterparts (which are installed at the station) on the bottom.
In addition to lovely art, Harrison has an old station building, though it is no longer used by Metro-North. Which is a shame, as it has much more character than the more modern station. I can’t seem to find too much information about the station building, but as far as I am aware it is owned by the town. Perhaps one day it will be occupied more than just having Metro-North notes stuck to the door. Besides the lonely station building, the area surrounding the station is quite nice and has various shops. In fact, after taking photos at the station I purchased some ice-cream to eat on the platform, while waiting for my train to arrive and carry me the 22 miles back to Grand Central.
Tags: arts for transit, harrison, metro north, new haven line, photos, platform, station, tuesday tour of the new haven line
October 4th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
whats with the devils horns on your own picture..?
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Emily Reply:
October 5th, 2011 at 6:43 am
Huh? I’m confused…
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Al Cyone Reply:
October 5th, 2011 at 7:12 am
Cat’s ears?
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October 6th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
The area around Harrison may change some in the next few years due to a proposed Transit-Oriented-Development (TOD). They’ve been pushing these for a while; it will be interesting to see what it looks like.
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October 25th, 2011 at 10:16 am
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