 A station on the New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Harlem Line of the Metro-North) at this location was constructed by 1850.In 1899 and 1902 respectively, the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden were opened on the former eastern grounds of St. John's College.The Third Avenue El was extended to a new terminal at Fordham Road (then Pelham Avenue) in 1901, while streetcar service in the area was introduced during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.