Third Avenue Railroad Depot

Paul's painting shows a horsecar in front of the Third Avenue Railroad Depot at 62nd Street, rebuilt after a fire in 1881. As Manhattan’s population expanded north in the early 1800s, the demand for transportation grew. By the 1850s, NYC’s traffic was notorious. In 1853, the Third Avenue Railroad Company (TARC) was founded to ease the chaos by introducing horsecars, an early form of public transit. The Depot, built around 1859, served as a transfer station where over 1,700 horses rested and horsecars were cleaned. By 1899, electric trolleys replaced horse-drawn cars, marking the end of an era. This painting captures a moment from New York’s evolving transportation history, where today’s fast-paced city contrasts with the slower, horse-powered streets of the past.