Long Beach station was originally built in 1880 by the
New York and Long Beach Railroad, however it was much closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the present station. The site was surrounded by Broadway, Penn Street, Edwards Boulevard and Riverside Boulevard, and served the grand Long Beach Hotel, which
Austin Corbin claimed was the world's largest hotel. It also included a clock tower on the station house, a water tower, and a gazebo. Additionally, it had a connection to the
Long Beach Marine Railway, which served
Lido Beach and
Point Lookout. The hotel burned down on July 27, 1907 in what was officially ruled as an electrical fire. Due to repeated storm damage to rails and other equipment, the LIRR petitioned the
New York State Public Service Commission to move the station 1000 feet north in January 1909, which was fully endorsed by the Estates of Long Beach who even offered to exchange land with the railroad. That permission was granted in February of the same year. The present depot at Park Avenue was built in June 1909, and is larger than the previous station off the Atlantic Coast. It was designed by
Kenneth M. Murchison, who also designed the 1913-built
Jamaica station and
Hoboken Terminal. Over a year later, the station and the line were electrified. The station also included a baggage house and express freight office along track number 10. Beginning in the early 1960s, store fronts began operating in front of the station along the street and continued to do so until the station was renovated in 1988. Another renovation in the early 2000s added a parking garage, bus depot, and platform bridge. The bus depot is on Centre Street adjacent to the station building, and the parking garage contains a section for bicycles.
Long Beach Club House station Prior to the relocation, another station named
Club House station (not to be confused with the
Club House station on the
Montauk Branch in
Great River, New York) existed nearby at what is today Market Street and National Boulevard. Originally a signal stop built in April 1898, it contained a path leading to a club house on the coast of
Reynolds Channel. The station was closed in 1909 when Long Beach Station was moved to the channel. ==Station layout==