145th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) explained

145 Street
Address:West 145th Street & Broadway
New York, NY
Borough:Manhattan
Locale:Hamilton Heights
Coordinates:40.826°N -73.95°W
Division:IRT
Line:IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Service:Broadway-Seventh north local
Connection: NYCT Bus:, Columbia Transportation Intercampus Green Line, Intercampus Blue Line, Intercampus Red Line
Platforms:2 side platforms
Tracks:3 (2 in regular service)
Structure:Underground
Open Date:[1]

The 145th Street station is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Broadway and 145th Street in Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 trains at all times.

The 145th Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes 145th Street began on May 14 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The station's platforms were lengthened in 1948.

The 145th Street station contains two side platforms and three tracks; the center track is not used in regular service. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to 145th Street and Broadway and are not connected to each other within fare control.

History

Construction and opening

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864. However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act.[2] The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. 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.[3] A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near the end of 1899.

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,[4] under which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations. Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.

The 145th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's West Side Line (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) from 133rd Street to a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 182nd Street. Work on this section was conducted by L. B. McCabe & Brother, who started building the tunnel segment on May 14, 1900. The section of the West Side Line around this station was originally planned as a two-track line, but in early 1901, was changed to a three-track structure to permit train storage in the center track.[5] [6] A third track was added directly north of 96th Street, immediately east of the originally planned two tracks.[7] 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.[8] As late as October 26, 1904, the day before the subway was scheduled to open, the walls and ceilings were incomplete.[9]

The 145th Street station opened on October 27, 1904, as the northern terminal station of the original 28-station New York City Subway line to City Hall.[2] The line was subsequently extended one stop to 157th Street in December 1904,[10] and ultimately was extended to 242nd Street in the Bronx in 1908.[11] [12]

Service changes and station renovations

After the first subway line was completed in 1908,[13] the station was served by West Side local and express trains. Express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and ended at 242nd Street in the Bronx. Local trains ran from City Hall to 242nd Street during rush hours, continuing south from City Hall to South Ferry at other times.[14] In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. The original subway north of Times Square thus became part of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.[15]

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[16] 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 $ million in) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $ million in) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.[17] The northbound platform at the 145th Street station was extended to the south,[17] while the southbound platform was not lengthened.[17] The work involved reconstructing the interlocking between the center and northbound tracks.[17] Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910, and ten-car express trains began running on the West Side Line on January 24, 1911.[18] Subsequently, the station could accommodate six-car local trains, but ten-car trains could not open some of their doors.

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[19] [20] Platforms at IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line stations between and, including those at 145th Street, were lengthened to between 1946 and 1948, allowing full ten-car express trains to stop at these stations. A contract for the platform extensions at 145th Street and eight other stations on the line was awarded to Spencer, White & Prentis Inc. in October 1946,[21] with an estimated cost of $3.891 million.[22] The platform extensions at these stations were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the platform extension at 145th Street opened.[23] [24] Simultaneously, the IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. [25] The route to 242nd Street became known as the 1.[26] In 1959, all 1 trains became local.[27]

In April 1988,[28] the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) unveiled plans to speed up service on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line through the implementation of a skip-stop service: the 9 train.[29] When skip-stop service began on August 21, 1989, skip-stop service was implemented during rush hours and middays. 145th Street was the southernmost local stop that was served by the 9 during rush hours and middays and the 1 at other times.[30] [31] [32] On September 4, 1994, midday skip-stop service was discontinued.[33] Skip-stop service ended on May 27, 2005, as a result of a decrease in the number of riders who benefited.[34]

Station layout

This station was part of the original subway, and has two side platforms and three tracks, the center one being an unused express track. The station is served by the 1 at all times and is between 157th Street to the north and 137th Street to the south. The platforms were originally long, like at other stations north of 96th Street,[3] but as a result of the 1948 platform extension, became long.[23] The platform extensions are at the southern ends of the uptown platform and the northern end of the downtown platform, making them slightly offset.

Design

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method.[35] 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 4inches thick. Each platform consists of 3inches concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15feet, while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every, support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.[36] There is a 1abbr=NaNabbr= gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4abbr=NaNabbr=-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.[36]

The decorative scheme consists of blue tile tablets; blue tile bands; a white terracotta cornice; and light blue terracotta plaques.[36] The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.[36] The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Manhattan Glass Tile Company and terracotta contractor Atlantic Terra Cotta Company.[36] The platforms contain their original trim line of green with gray borders. "145" in white lettering on a dark border are tiled onto the trim. The station's other name tablets show "145TH ST." in a multi-color mosaic. The directional signs read also read "145TH ST." in white lettering on a black border.

Track layout

The northbound local track merges with the center track north of the station and the line continues north as two tracks. The switch from the southbound track to the center track is south of the station.

Just south of the station lies the underground 137th Street Yard, which is visible from passing trains. The track layout allows northbound trains to bypass this station by switching to the center express track in the 137th Street Yard.

Exits

Both platforms have same-level fare control containing a bank of turnstiles, token booth, and staircases to the street. The northbound platform has two staircases (one to each eastern corner of Broadway and 145th Street) and the southbound platform has a single staircase to the northwestern corner. There are no crossovers or crossunders to allow transfers between directions.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: subscription. Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It; Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train.. October 28, 1904. The New York Times. April 21, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331. 1. November 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112012129/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/28/118948832.html. live.
  2. Book: Walker. James Blaine. Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. 1918. Law Printing. New York, N.Y.. November 6, 2016.
  3. Web site: October 23, 1979. Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior. November 19, 2019. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. September 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200921135400/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf. live.
  4. Book: Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. 229–236.
  5. Book: Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners For And In The City of New York Up to December 31, 1901. 1902. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. en. December 23, 2020. May 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220502022956/https://books.google.com/books?id=PLonAAAAYAAJ&q=Third+Track+North+of+Fort+George&pg=PA242. live.
  6. Book: Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909. 1910. Public Service Commission. Albany. en. December 23, 2020. April 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220422120155/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191. live.
  7. October 2004. New York City's Subway Turns 100. dead. The Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association. 47. 10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403051535/https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2004-10-bulletin.pdf. April 3, 2018. April 2, 2018.
  8. News: November 14, 1903 . First of Subway Tests; West Side Experimental Trains to be Run by Jan. 1 Broadway Tunnel Tracks Laid, Except on Three Little Sections, to 104th Street -- Power House Delays. . en-US . The New York Times . limited . May 10, 2022 . 0362-4331 . May 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505030752/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/11/14/archives/first-of-subway-tests-west-side-experimental-trains-to-be-run-by.html . live .
  9. News: 1904-10-26. Clamor for Tickets for Subway Opening; Distribution Plan Criticised by Engineers and Many Others.. en-US. The New York Times. 2023-05-25. 0362-4331.
  10. Book: Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909. 1910. Public Service Commission. Albany. en. December 23, 2020. April 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220422120155/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191. live.
  11. Book: Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909. 1910. Public Service Commission. Albany. en. December 23, 2020. April 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220422120155/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191. live.
  12. News: August 2, 1908. Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now. 10. The New York Times. limited. November 6, 2016. December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211223112020/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/08/02/archives/our-first-subway-completed-at-last-opening-of-the-van-cortlandt.html. live.
  13. News: limited. Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now. August 2, 1908. The New York Times. November 6, 2016. 10. December 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211223112020/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/08/02/archives/our-first-subway-completed-at-last-opening-of-the-van-cortlandt.html. live.
  14. Book: Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1916. 119. Herries. William. December 23, 2020. May 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511155639/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151. live.
  15. News: August 2, 1918. Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph. 1. The New York Times. subscription. October 4, 2011. 0362-4331. February 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210221065215/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/08/02/97011929.pdf. live.
  16. Web site: Hood. Clifton. 1978. The Impact of the IRT in New York City. December 20, 2020. Historic American Engineering Record. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). . . January 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf. live.
  17. Book: Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910. 1911. Public Service Commission. en. January 7, 2021. January 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210120015525/https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=%20zoological%20station&pg=PA596. live.
  18. News: limited. Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow.. January 23, 1911. The New York Times. April 5, 2018. en-US. 0362-4331. April 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405224750/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/23/archives/tencar-trains-in-subway-today-new-service-begins-on-lenox-av-line.html. live.
  19. News: June 13, 1940 . City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign . en-US . The New York Times . subscription. May 14, 2022 . 0362-4331 . January 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220107193115/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html . live .
  20. News: June 13, 1940 . Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration . 25 . New York Herald Tribune . .
  21. News: Crowell. Paul. October 11, 1946. Improvement Costs Voted for Subway; Board of Estimate Appropriates $31,291,000 for New Cars and Station Lengthening. en-US. 24. The New York Times. subscription. July 28, 2021. 0362-4331. May 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521165007/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/10/11/94061958.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false. live.
  22. News: 11 Oct 1946 . City Approves $35,153,000 Subway Outlay: Board of Estimate Awards Contract for 400 Cars and 10 Station Projects . 40 . New York Herald Tribune . 1941-0646 . .
  23. Book: Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949.. 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 2027/mdp.39015023094926.
  24. News: July 10, 1948. More Long Platforms – Five Subway Stations on IRT to Accommodate 10-Car Trains. 8. The New York Times. subscription. March 27, 2016. 0362-4331. May 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220524041114/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/07/10/86748393.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false. live.
  25. Web site: Brown . Nicole . How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious . amNewYork . May 17, 2019 . January 27, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210302020704/https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-name-1-31116195/ . live .
  26. Friedlander. Alex. Lonto. Arthur. Raudenbush. Henry. April 1960. A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA. New York Division Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association. 3. 1. 2. January 27, 2021. September 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200914232631/https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960/1960-01-bulletin.pdf. dead.
  27. News: February 7, 1959. Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect. 21. The New York Times. subscription. November 6, 2016. January 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180101082503/http://www.nytimes.com/1959/02/07/archives/wagner-praises-modernized-irt-mayor-and-transit-authority-are.html?_r=0. live.
  28. News: Brozan. Nadine. June 4, 1989. 'Skip-Stop' Subway Plan Annoys No. 1 Riders. The New York Times. limited. June 15, 2016. 0362-4331. August 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160810125540/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/04/nyregion/skip-stop-subway-plan-annoys-no-1-riders.html. live.
  29. News: Moore. Keith. June 10, 1988. TA's skip-stop plan hit. New York Daily News. November 8, 2018. November 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108224523/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25210677/daily_news/. live.
  30. News: August 20, 1989.
    1. 1 Riders: Your Service is Changing
    . New York Daily News. November 8, 2018. November 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108224708/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22823286/daily_news/. live.
  31. Web site: August 1989. Announcing 1 and 9 Skip-Stop Service on the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line. August 1, 2009. New York City Transit Authority. June 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200626000015/http://subwaynut.com/brochures/1and9skipstop.pdf. dead.
  32. News: Lorch. Donatella. August 22, 1989. New Service For Subways On West Side. The New York Times. limited. June 15, 2016. 0362-4331. August 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160810113522/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/22/nyregion/new-service-for-subways-on-west-side.html. live.
  33. News: Chan. Sewell. January 12, 2005. MTA Proposes Dropping No. 9 Train. The New York Times. April 18, 2010. November 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071128053709/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E5D71638F931A25752C0A9639C8B63. live.
  34. News: Chan. Sewell. May 25, 2005. On Its Last Wheels, No. 9 Line Is Vanishing on Signs. The New York Times. limited. August 29, 2016. 0362-4331. March 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150317100921/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/25/nyregion/25train.html. live.
  35. Web site: Scott. Charles. 1978. Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering. December 20, 2020. Historic American Engineering Record. 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283). . . January 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf. live.
  36. Web site: Framberger. David J.. 1978. Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway. December 20, 2020. Historic American Engineering Record. 1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412). . . January 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf. live.

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