Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall/Chambers Street station

The two adjacent stations on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and BMT Nassau Street Line are connected by two passageways. The south one opened in 1914,^[6] and was placed inside fare control on July 1, 1948.^[4] A second passageway, at the north end of the stations, was opened in the evening of September 1, 1962, when the Lexington Avenue Line platforms were extended and the Worth Street station was closed.^[7][8] Originally, the stations were operated by separate companies: the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940,^[9][10] and the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.^[11][12] Both sections of the station complex were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.^[13][14]

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

Construction and opening

Original plan of the Brooklyn Bridge station (lower-right corner) as well as the City Hall Loop

The station under construction in 1904

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.^[15]: 21 However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature authorized the Rapid Transit Act.^{[15]: 139–140} The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.^[16]: 3 A plan was formally adopted in 1897,^[15]: 148 and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near the end of 1899.^[15]: 161 The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,^[17] in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.^[15]: 165 In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.^[16]: 4 Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.^[15]: 182

The Brooklyn Bridge station was constructed as part of the IRT's original line south of Great Jones Street. The Degnon-McLean Contracting Company was awarded the contract for Section 1, from the City Hall loop to Chambers Street, and the contract for section 2, from Chambers Street to Great Jones Street. Work began on Section 1 on March 24, 1900, and work began on Section 2 on July 10, 1900.^[17] By late 1903, the subway was nearly complete, but the IRT Powerhouse and the system's electrical substations were still under construction, delaying the system's opening.^{[15]: 186 [18]}

The Brooklyn Bridge station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch.^{[19][15]: 186} Express trains were extended south on January 16, 1905, when a 0.3 miles (0.48 km)-long extension to Fulton Street opened.^[20]

Service changes and station renovations

Initially, the IRT station was served by local and express trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now the Lenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry or Atlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street, Lenox Avenue (145th Street), or West Farms (180th Street).^[21] Express trains to 145th Street were later eliminated, and West Farms express trains and rush-hour Broadway express trains operated through to Brooklyn.^[22]

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.^[23]: 168 As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts, made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $43.6 million in 2021) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $14,541,000 in 2021) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.^[24]: 15 At the Brooklyn Bridge station, the northbound island platform was extended 15 feet (4.6 m) north and 135 feet (41 m) south, while the southbound island platform was extended 165 feet (50 m) south, necessitating the relocation of some tracks.^{[24]: 106–107} Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910.^[23]: 168 On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the Lenox Avenue Line, and the following day, ten-car express trains were inaugurated on the West Side Line.^{[23]: 168 [25]}

In 1918, the Lexington Avenue Line opened north of Grand Central–42nd Street, thereby dividing the original line into an "H"-shaped system. All trains were sent via the Lexington Avenue Line.^[26] With the closure of the City Hall station in 1945, Brooklyn Bridge became the southernmost station for local services that formerly terminated at City Hall.^{[27][13]: 4}

Disused gap fillers on the original northbound platform's southern extension

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the New York City Transit Authority undertook a $138 million (equivalent to $1.28 billion in 2021) modernization project for the Lexington Avenue Line. As part of the project, platforms at Brooklyn Bridge were extended. Work on the reconstruction of the Brooklyn Bridge station started on May 18, 1959. Prior to the rebuild, the station's local platform could only accommodate four cars, resulting in delays. The platforms were lengthened, widened, and straightened. Originally, the island platforms narrowed at their northern ends to an unsafe width of only five feet.^[28] The project remedied this situation, lengthening the platforms from 295 feet (90 m) to 523 feet (159 m) and widening them.^[28][8] The platforms were extended northward by 220 feet (67 m) to just south of Reade Street.^[28] In addition, a new exit was provided at Reade Street and Lafayette Street and a new passageway under Reade Street was built connecting to the Chambers Street station on the BMT Nassau Street Line. At the center of the enlarged platforms, a new overhead passage was built, providing more direct access to the Municipal Building.^[28][8]

A signal tower, as well as maintainers' rooms, relay rooms, and tile walls on the unused western side platform, were completed in May 1960. The tile walls on the unused eastern side platform had been completed the previous December.^[29] The downtown platform was lengthened in 1961,^[7] and the uptown platform's extension opened the next year, on September 1, 1962.^[7][8] The platform extension project was substantially completed by the end of 1963.^[29] The platform extensions allowed the old platform extensions at the southern end of the station, which were used for express service, to be abandoned. These platform extensions had necessitated the use of gap fillers. This project, which cost $6 million, allowed trains on the 6 route to be lengthened to nine cars, and allowed express trains to open all doors at the station (previously the doors only opened in eight of the ten cars). Upon its completion, the Worth Street station to the north was closed due to its close proximity to the platform extensions, and the Brooklyn Bridge station was renamed Brooklyn Bridge–Worth Street.^[7][8]

Three elevators opened in 1992, making the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The elevators cost $3.4 million (equivalent to $6 million in 2021) and connected the mezzanine to the street and to each platform.^[30] The station's name was reverted to Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall in 1995. A renovation at the station was completed by 1996. It was one of thirteen stations citywide whose renovations were completed that year at a total cost of $127 million (equivalent to $225.8 million in 2021).^[31]

BMT Nassau Street Line

Construction and opening

After the original IRT opened, the city began planning new lines. The Centre Street Loop (later the Nassau Street Line) was approved on January 25, 1907, as a four-track line;^[32] it was to connect the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge via Centre Street, Canal Street, and Delancey Street.^[33] Construction contracts for the Nassau Street Line were awarded in early 1907.^[15]: 203 A proposed Tri-borough system was adopted in early 1908, incorporating the Broadway Line. Operation of the line was assigned to the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT, subsequently the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT) in the Dual Contracts, adopted on March 4, 1913.^{[15]: 203–219 [34]}

The Chambers Street station was planned as a five-platform station.^[35] It would sit at the base of the Manhattan Municipal Building, a large office structure being planned for the city government. One of the conditions of an architectural design competition for the Municipal Building was that the building's internal structure could not block train tracks, stairways, or platforms.^{[36]: 367–368} Although McKim, Mead & White were selected for the building's construction,^[37] their original plans were rejected by the city's buildings superintendent because he felt that the underlying layer of soil and sand was not strong enough to carry the building.^{[36]: 372–373 [38]} This resulted in delays in the construction of the proposed Brooklyn loop line under the building.^[38]

The BRT station opened on August 4, 1913.^[39] Originally, trains arrived from the north via either the Williamsburg Bridge or the Manhattan Bridge; the connection to the Montague Street Tunnel had not yet been completed. The loop configuration permitted trains arriving in either direction from the BMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn to pass through Chambers Street and return to Fourth Avenue without having to reverse direction.^[39] The BMT Brooklyn Loops, a track connection to the Brooklyn Bridge that would have connected to the Williamsburg Bridge tracks, was planned in the station's design,^[40] though the connection was never opened.^[41][42] According to a 1916 report, the connection had been completed, for just over $740,000 (equivalent to $18,427,584 in 2021), but because the BRT did not want to pay the annual rental fee that was mandated for the usage of the connection, it went unused.^[43] The overpass across William Street was closed in 1913 to make way for the proposed connection. In 1929, the overpass was reopened after it became clear that the connection would not be built.^[44] The finished portions of the tunnel to the Brooklyn Bridge led directly to wine vaults under the bridge.^[45]

Service changes and station renovations

Chambers Street was designed to be the BRT's Manhattan hub near City Hall; the business and population center of the city was still near Manhattan island's southern end at the time. Three years after the Chambers Street station opened, its platforms were so overcrowded that one newspaper article described them as "more dangerous during the rush hours than at the Grand Central or the Fourteenth Street Stations."^[46] However, by the mid-1920s, the subway itself was pushing the city's population north and leaving Chambers Street behind. The Nassau Street Loop was completed in 1931 south to the Montague Street Tunnel to Brooklyn, making the Chambers Street BMT station a through station.^[47][48] At this point, the BMT's center island platform and the two side platforms were closed. A new northern mezzanine was built in 1938 when the entrances under the north side of the Municipal Building were closed. The western side platform was demolished with the expansion of the IRT station between 1960 and 1962.^[14]: 9

The Chrystie Street Connection, opened in 1967, severed the Nassau Street Line's connection to the Manhattan Bridge, so that the bridge tracks could connect instead to the uptown IND Sixth Avenue Line.^[49] The new connection preserved Nassau Street service via the Montague Street Tunnel, but trains were no longer able to run in a loop.^[50]

Former ticket booths at Chambers Street

The Chambers Street station, having fallen into disuse over the years, was voted the ugliest station in the system in a 2003 poll.^[46] In May 2018, it was announced that the MTA would start renovating the Chambers Street station that August. At the time, local news station NY1 said: "It is easily one of the most decrepit stations in the city's entire system."^[51] The station received two platform elevators and three new ramps in the mezzanine: one in the corridor between the IRT and BMT stations, and one from the BMT mezzanine to each platform elevators. The station platforms were modified to reduce the gap between trains and the platform edges, and a pedestrian bridge was installed above the tracks, connecting both of the open platforms. To accommodate the ramps, elevators, and pedestrian bridge, portions of the station and mezzanine were removed or reconfigured. These improvements made the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,^[51][52] and were funded as part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program.^{[53][54][55][56]} The project was to take at least 24 months to be completed.^[57] A contract for the elevators' construction was awarded in August 2018,^[58] and the elevators opened by September 1, 2020.^[59][60]

Discover more about History related topics

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

The IRT Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the A Division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The line is served by the 4, ​5, ​6, and <6> trains.

BMT Nassau Street Line

BMT Nassau Street Line

The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is a continuation of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan; it continues to a junction with the BMT Broadway Line just before the Montague Street Tunnel. Afterwards, the line reenters Brooklyn. Although the tracks continue past Broad Street, there has been no regular service past that station since June 25, 2010. While the line is officially recognized as the Nassau Street Line, it only serves one station on Nassau Street: Fulton Street.

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Interborough Rapid Transit Company

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the city in June 1940, along with the younger BMT and IND systems, to form the modern New York City Subway. The former IRT lines are now the A Division or IRT Division of the Subway.

Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation

Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation

The Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. The system was sold to the city in 1940. Today, together with the IND subway system, it forms the B Division of the modern New York City Subway.

National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic value". A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

City Hall station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

City Hall station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

The City Hall station, also known as City Hall Loop, was a terminal station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It was under City Hall Park next to New York City Hall in Civic Center, Manhattan.

Early history of the IRT subway

Early history of the IRT subway

The first regularly operated subway in New York City was opened on October 27, 1904, and was operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The early IRT system consisted of a single trunk line below 96th Street in Manhattan, running under Broadway, 42nd Street, Park Avenue, and Lafayette Street. The line had three northern branches in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, and a southern branch to Brooklyn. The system had four tracks between Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and 96th Street, allowing for local and express service. The original line and early extensions consisted of:The IRT Eastern Parkway Line from Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center to Borough Hall The IRT Lexington Avenue Line from Borough Hall to Grand Central–42nd Street The IRT 42nd Street Shuttle from Grand Central–42nd Street to Times Square The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from Times Square to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street The IRT Lenox Avenue Line from 96th Street to 145th Street The IRT White Plains Road Line from 142nd Street Junction to 180th Street–Bronx Park

New York City Hall

New York City Hall

New York City Hall is the seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, the building is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as the office of the Mayor of New York City and the chambers of the New York City Council. While the Mayor's Office is in the building, the staff of thirteen municipal agencies under mayoral control are located in the nearby Manhattan Municipal Building, one of the largest government buildings in the world, with many others housed in various buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan

Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with over 8.8 million residents as of the 2020 census.

John B. McDonald

John B. McDonald

John B. McDonald was an Irish-born contractor who is best known for overseeing construction of the first New York City Subway line from 1900 to 1904.

August Belmont Jr.

August Belmont Jr.

August Belmont Jr. was an American financier. He financed the construction of the original New York City subway (1900–1904) and for many years headed the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which ran the transit system. He also financed and led the construction of the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, which opened in 1914. Belmont bought the land for and built New York's Belmont Park racetrack—named for his father—and was a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He served as chairman of the board of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He also served as a director of the Southern Pacific Co., parent of the railroad, and National Park Bank.

Heins & LaFarge

Heins & LaFarge

Heins & LaFarge was a New York-based architectural firm composed of the Philadelphia-born architect George Lewis Heins (1860–1907) and Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), the eldest son of the artist John La Farge. They were responsible for the original Romanesque-Byzantine east end and crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, and for the original Astor Court buildings of the Bronx Zoo, which formed a complete ensemble reflecting the aesthetic of the City Beautiful movement. Heins & LaFarge provided the architecture and details for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, the first precursor to the New York City Subway.

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agents Elevator on west side of Centre Street south of Chambers Street
Platform level	Side platform, not in service
	Northbound	← toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Canal Street) ← PM rush toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer (Canal Street)
	Island platform
	Center track	← No regular service
	Island platform, not in service
	Center track	← No regular service
	Island platform
	Southbound	← toward Broad Street (Fulton Street) → ← AM rush toward Broad Street (Fulton Street) →
	Side platform, mostly demolished
	Northbound local	← toward Parkchester or Pelham Bay Park (Canal Street)
	Island platform
	Northbound express	← toward Woodlawn (Canal Street late nights, 14th Street–Union Square other times) ← toward Eastchester–Dyre Avenue or Nereid Avenue (14th Street–Union Square)
	Southbound express	← toward Crown Heights–Utica Avenue (New Lots Avenue late nights) (Fulton Street) → ← toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College weekdays, Bowling Green evenings/weekends (Fulton Street) →
	Island platform
	Southbound local	← termination track → ←(No service: City Hall)
	Side platform, not in service

Abandoned women's restroom, with its corresponding stone lintel, in the southern BMT mezzanine

Just below street level, there are two overpasses above the IRT platforms, one at the center of the station and another near the south end. There is also an underpass at the extreme north end of the station.^[13]: 17 The underpass and northern overpass date from the 1962 renovation while the southern overpass is part of the original circulation plan. The overpasses connect each platform with the exits and the BMT's southern mezzanine, and contain wrought iron balustrades. A corridor runs above the eastern side of the IRT station.^{[13]: 4–5}

The BMT mezzanine level, slightly lower than the IRT mezzanine level, is split into north and south sections, with various offices and service rooms in the unused portions of both mezzanines. The connection to the IRT is within the southern mezzanine.^[14]: 17 The mezzanines contain tiled piers and walls, with pink wainscoting. Along the tops of the walls are yellow mosaic-tile bands with white-and-red surrounds and blue rectangular panels. The north mezzanine has a section of rectangular yellow tiled wall dating to the 1962 renovation. There is a doorway in the south mezzanine, topped by a stone lintel reading "Women", which formerly led to a women's restroom.^{[14]: 4–5}

v t e Lower Manhattan transit
Legend
1  Franklin Street Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall  4  ​ 5  (  6 )  1  ​ 2  ​ 3  Chambers Street Chambers Street  J  ​ Z   A  ​ C  (  E ) Chambers Street–WTC City Hall  R  ​ W   2  ​ 3  Park Place  1  WTC Cortlandt Cortlandt Street  R  ​ W  (  HOB   NWK ) World Trade Center Fulton Street  2  ​ 3 ​  4  ​ 5 ​  A  ​ C ​  J  ​ Z   1  Rector Street Rector Street  R  ​ W   4  ​ 5  Wall Street Wall Street  2  ​ 3   4  ​ 5  Bowling Green Broad Street (  J  ​ Z )  R  (  1   W ) South Ferry/Whitehall Street Whitehall Terminal South Ferry loops

Exits

Elevator kiosk, made in the style of original IRT subway entrance kiosks

Renovated Municipal Building entrance

At the north end of the complex, two stairs extend from the IRT underpass to the northwestern corner of Reade and Centre Streets. The IRT underpass continues to the northern BMT mezzanine, where a stair rises to the southern end of Foley Square.^{[13]: 4, 17 [61]}

At the south end of the complex, a wide stair under the southern side of the Manhattan Municipal Building, just southeast of the intersection of Centre and Chambers Streets, serves the southern BMT mezzanine, and was one of the original BMT entrances.^{[14]: 4, 17 [61]} The wide stair has a bronze latticed balustrade, as well as plaques with the words svbway entrance.^[14]: 6 Two stairs and an elevator from the western side of the IRT mezzanine to City Hall Park, just southwest of the intersection of Centre and Chambers Streets, in front of the Tweed Courthouse. The stairs comprised the original entrance to the IRT station.^{[13]: 6–7 [61]} The elevator, a replica of an original IRT subway entrance kiosk, opened in 1992 and was designed by Urbahn Associates.^[30]

A long passageway at the eastern side of the IRT mezzanine leads to a stair within a plaza just south of the Manhattan Municipal Building. This exit is smaller and faces the large BMT entrance under the building. At the far south end, two stairs rise to the south side of Frankfort Street, in front of Pace University's One Pace Plaza building.^{[13]: 4, 17 [61]}

Several entrances have been closed and slabbed over. One stair from the IRT mezzanine led directly to the Brooklyn Bridge walkway,^[62][63] and was removed by August 2000^[64] as part of a project to widen the bridge walkway.^[65] Another stair rose from the northern BMT mezzanine to the northwestern corner of Centre Street and Duane Street (east of the current Foley Square entrance),^{[14]: 17 [66]} though this was also sealed by 1992 to reduce the maintenance costs associated with maintaining two adjacent staircases.^[67] The northern BMT mezzanine contained bronze doors on the east wall, now sealed, which led to the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse.^[14]: 5 Under the northern side of the Manhattan Municipal Building were additional subway staircases,^[36]: 374 although this entrance area was closed by 1938.^[14]: 9

Discover more about Station layout related topics

Accessibility

Accessibility

Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.

Side platform

Side platform

A side platform is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, one for each direction of travel, is the basic design used for double-track railway lines. Side platforms may result in a wider overall footprint for the station compared with an island platform where a single width of platform can be shared by riders using either track.

J/Z (New York City Subway service)

J/Z (New York City Subway service)

The J Nassau Street Local and Z Nassau Street Express are two rapid transit services in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored brown since they use the BMT Nassau Street Line in Lower Manhattan.

Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station

Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station

The Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station is the northern terminal station of the IND and BMT Archer Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway, located at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. It is served by E and J trains at all times, as well as Z trains during rush hours in the peak direction.

Island platform

Island platform

An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost reasons. They are also useful within larger stations where local and express services for the same direction of travel can be provided from opposite sides of the same platform thereby simplifying transfers between the two tracks. An alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location. In the United Kingdom the use of island platforms is relatively common when the railway line is in a cutting or raised on an embankment, as this makes it easier to provide access to the platform without walking across the tracks.

Broad Street station (BMT Nassau Street Line)

Broad Street station (BMT Nassau Street Line)

The Broad Street station is a station on the BMT Nassau Street Line of the New York City Subway at the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets in the Financial District of Manhattan. It serves as the southern terminal for J trains at all times and for Z trains during rush hours in the peak direction.

6 (New York City Subway service)

6 (New York City Subway service)

The 6 Lexington Avenue Local and <6> Pelham Bay Park Express are two rapid transit services in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored forest green since they use the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan. Local service is denoted by a (6) in a circular bullet, and express service is denoted by a <6> in a diamond-shaped bullet. On the R62A rolling stock, this is often indicated by LEDs around the service logo to indicate local or express service to riders. The LEDs illuminate in a green circle pattern for 6 local trains and in a red diamond pattern for <6> trains.

Parkchester station

Parkchester station

The Parkchester station is an express station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. It is located above Hugh J. Grant Circle in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx, where East 177th Street, Metropolitan Avenue, and Westchester Avenue intersect. The station is served by the 6 train at all times and the <6> train during weekdays in the peak direction.

Pelham Bay Park station

Pelham Bay Park station

The Pelham Bay Park station is the northern terminal station of the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located across from Pelham Bay Park, at the intersection of the Bruckner Expressway and Westchester Avenue in the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times, except weekdays in the peak direction, when the <6> serves it.

The Chambers Street station on the BMT Nassau Street Line is beneath the Manhattan Municipal Building, stretching from Duane Street in the north to a point just south of Chambers Street to the south.^[14]: 3 The J stops here at all times and the Z stops here during rush hours in the peak direction.^[69] The Chambers Street station has four tracks, three island platforms, and one side platform (originally two); the westernmost side platform has been demolished, while the center island platform and the easternmost side platform are unused.^[70] From the BMT station, there are stairs and elevators leading to the mezzanines above. The easternmost side platform had seven stairs, while the center island platform and the westernmost side platform had six stairs. The eastern island platform has five stairs and the western island platform has four stairs. The elevators are at the southern ends of the western and eastern island platforms.^[14]: 17

The island platforms allow for cross-platform interchanges between local and express trains heading in the same direction. Terminating trains use the inner tracks while through trains use the outer tracks.^[70] The platforms are 537 feet (164 m) long, and the station is approximately 120 feet (37 m) wide.^{[14]: 3–4} The southbound platform is slightly higher at the southern end of the station because the next stop south, Fulton Street, is bi-level with the southbound platform being above the northern one.^[70]

Design

Name of the station in mosaics

Ceramic tile with Brooklyn Bridge

Pedestrian overpass added as part of the 2019 renovation

Like the IRT station, the tunnel is covered by a "U"-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 inches (100 mm) thick. Each platform consists of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The platforms contain double-height, tile-clad columns spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m), which support the jack-arched concrete station roofs. There is a 1-inch (25 mm) gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4-inch (100 mm)-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish. The ceiling is double-height above much of the station's length, but drops beneath the south mezzanine and the original north mezzanine.^{[14]: 3, 5–6}

The westernmost side platform was tiled over during the 1962 renovation; it contains yellow tiles and a cream trim line with chambers st written on it in black sans-serif font at regular intervals. The easternmost side platform retains most of its original decoration, with pink marble wainscoting, as well as pink marble pilasters spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m). Between the pilasters and above the wainscoting are panels made of white tile, with gold-tiled borders. A maroon, blue, and gold tile frieze runs atop each panel, interrupted by T-shaped ceramic plaques with depictions of the Brooklyn Bridge, which are situated atop each pilaster. The Brooklyn Bridge ceramic tiles display the bridge's vertical cables but do not depict its diagonal cables. At intervals of every three panels, there are tile plaques with the station's name in place of the frieze. Sections of the original design, including the ceiling and walls, are heavily damaged or deteriorated.^[14]: 5

Track layout

Easternmost side platform, abandoned

Eastern island platform, in use

Center island platform, abandoned

The two "express" tracks, currently unused in regular revenue service, merge into a single tail track south of the station. The tail track is 620 feet (190 m) long from the switch points to the bumper block, where an emergency exit is available.^[70]

North of this station, there are two stub tracks, which end behind the now-closed Queens-bound side platform.^[70] These tracks were formerly connected to the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge, until they were disconnected in 1967 as part of the Chrystie Street Connection,^[71] with the BMT Broadway Line being connected to the south tracks instead. Also north of this station, the former southbound express track (now the northbound track) splits into two tracks just south of Canal Street: the former northbound local track, and the former southbound express track (the current northbound track).^[70]

Discover more about BMT Nassau Street Line platforms related topics

BMT Nassau Street Line

BMT Nassau Street Line

The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is a continuation of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan; it continues to a junction with the BMT Broadway Line just before the Montague Street Tunnel. Afterwards, the line reenters Brooklyn. Although the tracks continue past Broad Street, there has been no regular service past that station since June 25, 2010. While the line is officially recognized as the Nassau Street Line, it only serves one station on Nassau Street: Fulton Street.

Manhattan Municipal Building

Manhattan Municipal Building

The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building is a 40-story, 580-foot (180 m) building at 1 Centre Street, east of Chambers Street, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million.

Jack arch

Jack arch

A jack arch is a structural element in masonry construction that provides support at openings in the masonry. Alternate names are "flat arch" and "straight arch".

Sans-serif

Sans-serif

In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than serif typefaces. They are often used to convey simplicity and modernity or minimalism.

Manhattan Bridge

Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The main span is 1,480 ft (451 m) long, with the suspension cables being 3,224 ft (983 m) long. The bridge's total length is 6,855 ft (2,089 m). It is one of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to Long Island; the nearby Brooklyn Bridge is just slightly further downtown, while the Queensboro and Williamsburg bridges are to the north.

Chrystie Street Connection

Chrystie Street Connection

The Chrystie Street Connection is a set of New York City Subway tunnels running the length of Chrystie Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is one of the few track connections between lines of the former Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and Independent Subway System (IND) divisions, which together constitute the system's B Division. A major branch of the IND Sixth Avenue Line, it connects the Sixth Avenue Line to the BMT Brighton Line and BMT Fourth Avenue Line via the north side of the Manhattan Bridge and to the BMT Jamaica Line over the Williamsburg Bridge. The project, opened in 1967 and 1968, also includes the Sixth Avenue Line's Grand Street and 57th Street stations, the latter of which is not part of the connection itself.

BMT Broadway Line

BMT Broadway Line

The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan. As of November 2016, it is served by four services, all colored yellow: the N and ​Q trains on the express tracks and the R and ​W trains on the local tracks during weekdays. The line is often referred to as the "N and R", since those were the only services on the line from 1988 to 2001, when the Manhattan Bridge's southern tracks were closed for rebuilding. The Broadway Line was built to give the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company access to Midtown Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station is an express station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, beneath Centre Street. It stretches between a point just south of Duane Street, to the north, and Park Row, to the south.^[13]: 3 The 4 and 6 trains stop here at all times;^[73][74] the 5 train stops here at all times except late nights;^[75] and the train stops here during weekdays in the peak direction.^[74] The station serves as the southern terminal for the 6 train,^[74] which turns via the City Hall Loop to head back uptown.^[70] The Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station contains four tracks, two island platforms, and two unused side platforms.^[70] From each island platform, one elevator and one stair lead to the station's southern overpass, two stairs lead to the northern overpass, and one stair leads to the north-end underpass.^[13]: 17

The island platforms allow for cross-platform interchanges between local and express trains heading in the same direction. Terminating trains use the outer tracks while through trains use the inner tracks.^[70] The island platforms were originally 295 feet (90 m) long, but became 523 feet (159 m) long during the 1962 renovation.^[28] The station is approximately 537 feet (164 m) long and 85 feet (26 m) wide.^[13]: 3 Platform extensions are at both ends of the original platforms. The ones at the south end are closed off, but contain gap fillers and original mosaic tiles.^[13]: 4 The 1962 platform extensions are at the north end; it was deemed easier to lengthen the express platform northward, as the curves at the south end were extremely difficult to reconstruct.^[7]

There are two unused side platforms, one beside either local track.^[70] A combination of island and side platforms was also used at 14th Street–Union Square on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and 96th Street on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.^[76]: 8 These side platforms were built to accommodate extra passenger volume and were built to the five-car length of the original IRT local trains. When trains were lengthened, the side platforms were deemed obsolete, and they were closed and walled off in 1910. The side platforms house electrical equipment and are blocked off with metal grates. A staircase from the western side of the mezzanine leads to the original western side platform. A sliding grate was installed on the bottom of the deck leading to the eastern side platform, which was used to prevent access to that platform when it was not in service.^{[13]: 4–5}

Design

Name mosaic, platform level

Abbreviation mosaic with back-to-back "B"s, platform level

Original abbreviation mosaic with back-to-back "B"s, mezzanine

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method.^[77]: 237 The tunnel is covered by a "U"-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 inches (100 mm) thick.^{[13]: 3 [76]: 9} Each platform consists of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The platforms contain I-beam columns spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m). Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 feet (1.5 m), support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.^{[13]: 3 [16]: 4 [76]: 9} There is a 1-inch (25 mm) gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4-inch (100 mm)-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.^{[13]: 3 [76]: 9}

The westernmost side platform retains ten faience plaques of eagles, made by the Grueby Faience Company, which are not visible to the public. The easternmost side platform also has eagle faience plaques and mosaic tablets, also not visible to the public. These plaques and tablets were in the original design. The walls adjacent to the tracks are decorated with modern white tiles, surrounded near the top and bottom by red tile bands. The bands wrap around alcoves that are placed at regular intervals on the walls. The spaces above the alcoves contain black-on-green plaques with back-to-back "B"s, which alternate with white-on-green tablets with the words brooklyn bridge in Arial font. Smaller white-on-green plaques with the words "City Hall" are above the brooklyn bridge tablets. The back-to-back "B"s, and the white walls with red tile bands, are also used in the design of the mezzanine. However, the wall of the eastern corridor retains some original design, with brick wainscoting, marble pilasters, and original cream-on-olive plaques with back-to-back "B"s.^{[13]: 5–6} The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.^[76]: 31

The 1996 artwork in this station, by Mark Gibian, is titled Cable Crossing. The sculpture consists of numerous cables hanging over the fare control area of the western mezzanine, a reference to the nearby Brooklyn Bridge.^{[13]: 6 [78]}

Track layout

This station is the zero point for the IRT East Side chain; mile 0 is at the south end of the station. Just north of the station are crossovers that allow trains to switch between the local and express tracks, which allow Lexington Avenue local trains to continue south via the express tracks if necessary (rather than using the City Hall loop).^[70]

South of the station, the downtown local track splits into three tracks. The westernmost track loops around to the northbound local track through the City Hall station. The other two are layup tracks parallel to the downtown express track.^{[13]: 4 [70]} Until 1963, they merged into the downtown express track north of Fulton Street, but now they end at bumper blocks a little north of Fulton Street, and are occasionally used for train storage.^[79]

Discover more about IRT Lexington Avenue Line platforms related topics

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

IRT Lexington Avenue Line

The IRT Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the A Division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The line is served by the 4, ​5, ​6, and <6> trains.

Centre Street (Manhattan)

Centre Street (Manhattan)

Centre Street is a north–south street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, running through the Civic Center, Chinatown (曼哈頓華埠), and Little Italy neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan. It connects Park Row to the south with Spring Street to the north, where it merges with Lafayette Street. Centre Street carries northbound traffic north of Reade Street and two-way traffic between Reade Street and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Park Row (Manhattan)

Park Row (Manhattan)

Park Row is a street located in the Financial District, Civic Center, and Chinatown neighborhoods of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street runs east-west, sometimes called north-south because the western end is nearer to the Financial District. At the north end of Park Row is the confluence of Bowery, East Broadway, St. James Place, Oliver Street, Mott Street, and Worth Street at Chatham Square. At the street's south end, Broadway, Vesey Street, Barclay Street, and Ann Street intersect. The intersection includes a bus turnaround loop designated as Millennium Park. Park Row was once known as Chatham Street; it was renamed Park Row in 1886, a reference to the fact that it faces City Hall Park, the former New York Common.

4 (New York City Subway service)

4 (New York City Subway service)

The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored forest green since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan.

6 (New York City Subway service)

6 (New York City Subway service)

The 6 Lexington Avenue Local and <6> Pelham Bay Park Express are two rapid transit services in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Their route emblems, or "bullets", are colored forest green since they use the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan. Local service is denoted by a (6) in a circular bullet, and express service is denoted by a <6> in a diamond-shaped bullet. On the R62A rolling stock, this is often indicated by LEDs around the service logo to indicate local or express service to riders. The LEDs illuminate in a green circle pattern for 6 local trains and in a red diamond pattern for <6> trains.

5 (New York City Subway service)

5 (New York City Subway service)

The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored forest green since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan.

Island platform

Island platform

An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on twin-track routes due to pragmatic and cost reasons. They are also useful within larger stations where local and express services for the same direction of travel can be provided from opposite sides of the same platform thereby simplifying transfers between the two tracks. An alternative arrangement is to position side platforms on either side of the tracks. The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location. In the United Kingdom the use of island platforms is relatively common when the railway line is in a cutting or raised on an embankment, as this makes it easier to provide access to the platform without walking across the tracks.

Cross-platform interchange

Cross-platform interchange

A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the United States, it is often referred to as a cross-platform transfer.

IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line

IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line

The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line is a New York City Subway line. It is one of several lines that serves the A Division, stretching from South Ferry in Lower Manhattan north to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street in Riverdale, Bronx. The Brooklyn Branch, known as the Wall and William Streets Branch during construction, from the main line at Chambers Street southeast through the Clark Street Tunnel to Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn, is also part of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line is the only line to have elevated stations in Manhattan, with two short stretches of elevated track at 125th Street and between Dyckman and 225th Streets.

Foundation (engineering)

Foundation (engineering)

In engineering, a foundation is the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, transferring loads from the structure to the ground. Foundations are generally considered either shallow or deep. Foundation engineering is the application of soil mechanics and rock mechanics in the design of foundation elements of structures.

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most widely used building material. Its usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. Globally, the ready-mix concrete industry, the largest segment of the concrete market, is projected to exceed $600 billion in revenue by 2025. This widespread use results in a number of environmental impacts. Most notably, the production process for cement produces large volumes of greenhouse gas emissions, leading to net 8% of global emissions. Other environmental concerns include widespread illegal sand mining, impacts on the surrounding environment such as increased surface runoff or urban heat island effect, and potential public health implications from toxic ingredients. Significant research and development is being done to try to reduce the emissions or make concrete a source of carbon sequestration, and increase recycled and secondary raw materials content into the mix to achieve a circular economy. Concrete is expected to be a key material for structures resilient to climate disasters, as well as a solution to mitigate the pollution of other industries, capturing wastes such as coal fly ash or bauxite tailings and residue.

I-beam

I-beam

An I-beam, also known as H-beam, w-beam, universal beam (UB), rolled steel joist (RSJ), or double-T, is a beam with an I or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the I are flanges, and the vertical element is the "web". I-beams are usually made of structural steel and are used in construction and civil engineering.