Harlem–148th Street station explained

Harlem–148 Street
Former:148th Street–Lenox Terminal
Address:West 149th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
New York, NY
Borough:Manhattan
Locale:Harlem
Coordinates:40.824°N -73.937°W
Division:IRT
Line:IRT Lenox Avenue Line
Service:Lenox north
Connection: NYCT Bus:
Accessible:future
Platforms:1 island platform
Tracks:2
Structure:Covered, At-grade

The Harlem–148th Street station (also signed as 148th Street–Lenox Terminal station[1]) is a New York City Subway station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line in Harlem, Manhattan. It serves as the northern terminal station of the 3 train at all times as well as the Northern terminal of the IRT Lenox Avenue line. The entrance to the station is located at the intersection of 149th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, which has historically been known as 7th Avenue. The station contains a pair of tracks and an island platform and is located at ground level (although at a lower elevation than the adjacent streets). A parking structure for the adjacent Frederick Douglass Academy is located above the station, forming a roof above the platform and tracks.

Although the Lenox Avenue Line was constructed in 1904, the Harlem–148th Street station was not part of the original line. The station was first proposed in 1940, and was opened in 1968 within the confines of the preexisting Lenox Yard. The station was intended to replace 145th Street, the next stop south, as the northern terminal of the Lenox Avenue Line. However, the 145th Street station remained open as a result of community opposition.

History

Background

The station's location and tracks were originally part of the Lenox Avenue Yard opened in 1904, where 3 trains are currently stored.[2] [3] An extension of the Lenox Avenue line to 149th or 150th Street had been proposed since the Dual Contracts of the 1910s. In 1916, an extension to 149th Street was proposed as part of a connection between the Lenox Avenue Line and the IRT Jerome Avenue Line in the Bronx (served by the).[4]

In 1940, the New York City Board of Transportation proposed extending the IRT Lenox Avenue Line to the Bronx along the northern portion of the IRT Ninth Avenue Line, in turn connecting to the Jerome Avenue Line at 167th Street.[5] However, the tunnel from Sedgwick Avenue to Anderson–Jerome Avenues was built to elevated-railway standards, whose "open" third rails, which did not have any protective covers on top, were shorter than the subway's "covered" third rails. Another issue was that the Ninth Avenue Line could not carry subway cars, as it was only strong enough to carry the lighter wooden elevated cars.[6] These incompatibilities prevented the connection from being built.[7]

Opening

In 1957, a station at 150th Street within the Lenox Yard was proposed to better serve the local area (including the nearby Harlem River Houses).[8] The station, and the Bronx extension, had been requested by local citizens since the 1940s due to unreliable bus and surface trolley service.[9] The station was later moved to 149th Street due to Lenox Yard's downsizing in the 1960s, with the land sold to the developers that would build the Frederick Douglass Academy and the Esplanade Gardens apartment complex above the yard and station.[10] The new terminal, upon completion, was intended to replace the former terminal at 145th Street station due to the proximity of switches that prevented that station's lengthening to accommodate ten-car trains.[11] However, plans to shut down 145th Street were cancelled due to protests from local residents.[12] Trains began operating without passengers to the 148th Street station on May 5, 1968,[13] and the station officially opened on May 13, 1968.[13] [14] The project was completed at a relatively low cost because the extension made use of two existing yard tracks. The station cost $1.29 million, track improvements cost $3.178 million, and signaling cost $3.553 million.[15] The name of the station was originally planned to be 149th Street–Seventh Avenue station, but because of possible confusion with 149th Street–Grand Concourse, it was changed to 148th Street–Lenox Terminal.[16]

Later changes

The station sign was reversed as Lenox Terminal–148th Street in the 1990s before reverting to its original name by 2003.[17] From August 5, 1990, to September 4, 1994, and from September 10, 1995, to July 27, 2008, this station lacked full-time service, as 3 trains did not operate during late nights. Full-time service was restored on July 27, 2008.[18]

In December 2019, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that this station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[19]

A request for proposals was put out on May 18, 2023 for the contract for a project bundle to make 13 stations accessible, including Harlem–148th Street.[20] The contract to add two elevators at the station was awarded in December 2023.[21] The MTA announced in April 2024 that it would make esthetic improvements to the station during mid-2024 as part of its Re-New-Vation program.[22]

Station layout

Street levelStreet levelExit/entrance
Fare controlStation agent, MetroCard vending machines
Ground
Platform level
Yard tracksNo passenger service
Track 2 toward (late nights) →
Island platform
Track 1 toward New Lots Avenue (Times Square–42nd Street late nights) (145th Street) →
Maintenance tracksNo passenger service
The station is the northern terminus for the 3 train at all times; the next stop to the south is 145th Street. When this station opened, it supplanted 145th Street, the next stop south, as the northern terminal of the IRT Lenox Avenue Line. The station has two tracks and one island platform, and the tracks end at bumper blocks at the west end of the platform. The station is adjacent to Lenox Yard, which is used for train storage and has no maintenance facility.[23] Due to the high ceiling, platform service information signs are hung from heavy cables.[24]

While this station appears to be underground, it and the adjacent yard are actually at-grade. The Esplanade Gardens apartment complex is located between 147th and 149th streets while Frederick Douglass Academy High School sits between 149th and 150th Streets;[25] [26] [27] both structures rest on pilotis above the station and yard.[28] The Esplanade Gardens are also at the same level of the platforms. Unlike other at-grade stations, 148th Street is not ADA-accessible because there is a staircase down to platform level.[29] Plans to make the station ADA-accessible were included in the 2020-2024 MTA Capital Program.

Exit

The station's only mezzanine is at the west (railroad north) end of the station.[27] From the single island platform, a double-wide stairway leads up to a set of doors that separate the street-level station-house at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.[30] There are three turnstiles and a token booth.[31]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The outside of the headhouse at 148 Street-Lenox Terminal viewed form Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.. Cox. Jeremiah. June 24, 2008. subwaynut.com. January 25, 2018. June 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150607034327/http://subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n32.jpg. live.
  2. Web site: Task of Placing the Cars in New Subway: Transfer from the Elevated to the Underground Tracks. The New York Times. July 10, 2015. November 15, 1903. November 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222517/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/11/15/290340602.pdf. live.
  3. Web site: New Contracts Let for Interboro Yards: Rejection of Earlier Bids by the City Make $50,610 Temporary Facilities Necessary. The New York Times. July 10, 2015. June 8, 1922. March 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220317112340/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/06/08/99028650.pdf. live.
  4. Web site: Two Subway Agreements: Provide for Connecting Links and Station Improvements. The New York Times. July 10, 2015. November 12, 1916. April 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220411010604/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/11/12/100340601.pdf. live.
  5. Book: Report, Including Analysis of Operations of the New York City Transit System: For Five Years Ended June 30, 1945. New York City Board of Transportation. New York City Board of Transportation. Spinrad. Isidor. 1945. The Board. en. 123.
  6. , p. 244
  7. Web site: History of the Independent Subway. Feinman. Mark. 2000. www.nycsubway.org. en. January 25, 2018. May 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200512151219/https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/History_of_the_Independent_Subway. live.
  8. Web site: Asks Extension Of IRT Subway. New York Amsterdam News. July 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710102130/http://media.proquest.com/media/pq/hnp/doc/1093153432/fmt/ai/rep/NONE?hl=subways%2Csubway%2Csubways%2Csubway%2Clenox+avenue&cit%3Aauth=&cit%3Atitle=Asks+Extension+Of+IRT+Subway&cit%3Apub=New+York+Amsterdam+News+%281943-1961%29&cit%3Avol=&cit%3Aiss=&cit%3Apg=2&cit%3Adate=Aug+10%2C+1957&ic=true&cit%3Aprod=ProQuest+Historical+Newspapers%3A+New+York+Amsterdam+News&_a=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%3D%3D&_s=mtj1PIAeYIwky5c5A%2BvfMn7uHts%3D#statusbar=1&zoom=150. July 10, 2015. August 10, 1957. live.
  9. Web site: Public Service Gripes Are Old. New York Amsterdam News. July 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710102722/http://media.proquest.com/media/pq/hnp/doc/1093051542/fmt/ai/rep/NONE?hl=subways%2Csubway%2Csubways%2Csubway%2Charlem%2Charlem%2C150th+street&cit%3Aauth=&cit%3Atitle=Public+Service+Gripes+Are+Old&cit%3Apub=New+York+Amsterdam+News+%281943-1961%29&cit%3Avol=&cit%3Aiss=&cit%3Apg=7&cit%3Adate=Oct+19%2C+1946&ic=true&cit%3Aprod=ProQuest+Historical+Newspapers%3A+New+York+Amsterdam+News&_a=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%3D%3D&_s=gN067e069hmgwaGOayQOf%2F5hC98%3D#statusbar=1&zoom=150. July 10, 2015. October 19, 1946. live.
  10. Web site: IRT Repair Yard To Revert To City: 19 Acres in Harlem Will Be Turned Back by Dec. 31 -- Realty Men Interested. The New York Times. July 10, 2015. October 14, 1960. June 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180613235243/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/10/14/archives/irt-repair-yard-to-revert-to-city-19-acres-in-harlem-will-be-turned.html. live.
  11. October 1963. Other IRT Notes. The New York Division Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association. 6. 5. 1. Issu. March 23, 2018. November 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201107120233/https://issuu.com/erausa/docs/1963-05-oct-bulletin. live.
  12. Web site: Edwards. Dick. 145th-Lenox Subway Stop To Continue. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710091610/http://media.proquest.com/media/pq/hnp/doc/1043451842/fmt/ai/rep/NONE?hl=subways%2Csubway%2Csubways%2Csubway%2C145th+street%2Clenox+avenue&cit%3Aauth=Edwards%2C+Dick&cit%3Atitle=145th-Lenox+Subway+Stop+To+Continue&cit%3Apub=New+York+Amsterdam+News+%281962-1993%29&cit%3Avol=&cit%3Aiss=&cit%3Apg=3&cit%3Adate=Dec+2%2C+1967&ic=true&cit%3Aprod=ProQuest+Historical+Newspapers%3A+New+York+Amsterdam+News&_a=ChgyMDE1MDcxMDA5MDEzMTE3MTo4MDM4NzESBzEwODg4MzUaCk9ORV9TRUFSQ0giDDk4LjExNi4yNi4zOCoFNDU1OTEyCTIyNjY5MTY3OToNRG9jdW1lbnRJbWFnZUIBMFIGT25saW5lWgJGVGIDUEZUagoxOTY3LzEyLzAycgoxOTY3LzEyLzAyegCCASVQLTEwMDU4NzctMzU2MzUtQ1VTVE9NRVItbnVsbC0xMTMxMTM3kgEGT25saW5lygFtTW96aWxsYS81LjAgKFdpbmRvd3MgTlQgNi4xOyBXT1c2NCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNTM3LjM2IChLSFRNTCwgbGlrZSBHZWNrbykgQ2hyb21lLzQzLjAuMjM1Ny4xMzIgU2FmYXJpLzUzNy4zNtIBFUhpc3RvcmljYWwgTmV3c3BhcGVyc5oCB1ByZVBhaWSqAihPUzpFTVMtUGRmRG9jVmlld0Jhc2UtZ2V0TWVkaWFVcmxGb3JJdGVtsgImMjAxNTA3MTAwOTAxMzExNzE6ODAzODcxOjE0MzY1MTk1MjY2MDC6AiVQLTEwMDU4NzctMzU2MzUtQ1VTVE9NRVItbnVsbC0xMTMxMTM3ygIPQXJ0aWNsZXxGZWF0dXJl0gIBWeICAPICAA%3D%3D&_s=ANffqswLiVm2%2FUlPdIVNQ6yx%2Fz0%3D. dead. July 10, 2015. New York Amsterdam News. July 10, 2015. December 2, 1967.
  13. July 1985 . Eighty Years of Subway Service to the Bronx . The Bulletin . Electric Railroaders' Association . 28 . 7 . April 2, 2018.
  14. News: IRT Passengers Get New 148th St. Station. May 14, 1968. The New York Times. October 4, 2011. 95. December 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211221185250/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/14/archives/irt-passengers-get-new-148th-st-station.html. live.
  15. News: New Subway Station Opens At 148th St.. May 25, 1968. New York Amsterdam News. March 25, 2018.
  16. 148th Street-Lenox Terminal and How it Got its Name. Raudenbush. Henry. New York Division Bulletin. Electric Railroaders Association. June 20, 2016. January 2007. 50. 1. November 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161118162840/https://issuu.com/erausa/docs/2007-01-bulletin-unabridged/5. live.
  17. Web site: Weinberg. Brian. Station sign, by 2003. www.nycsubway.org. August 23, 2016. June 24, 2003. August 26, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160826055249/http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?25724. live.
  18. Service Enhancements on 3 Line. July 24, 2008. MTA New York City Transit. July 26, 2008. October 30, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141030174748/http://www.mta.info/press-release/nyc-transit/service-enhancements-3-line. dead.
  19. Web site: Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan. December 19, 2019. MTA. December 20, 2019. March 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200322233116/http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/mta-announces-20-additional-subway-stations-receive-accessibility. dead.
  20. Web site: May 18, 2023 . A37758 Design-Build Services for ADA Upgrades Package 5: Accessibility Upgrades at 13 Stations in the City of New York . May 10, 2024 . mta.info . Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  21. Web site: 20 Dec 2023 . December 2023 MTA Board Action Items . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222012801/https://new.mta.info/document/129196 . December 22, 2023 . 2024-03-02 . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . 46–47.
  22. Web site: Pozarycki . Robert . These 13 NYC subway stations will receive ‘Re-NEW-vation’ upgrades and cleaning this spring and summer . amNewYork . April 23, 2024 . April 24, 2024.
  23. , p. 80
  24. Web site: Walking up the staircase to the station house. Cox. Jeremiah. April 24, 2013. subwaynut.com. January 25, 2018. January 26, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126012609/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n324.jpg. live.
  25. Web site: Inventory Of Decking Opportunities Over Transportation Properties Final Report: 6.7: Transit And Railroad Yards: Manhattan. . . September 2008 . August 6, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194412/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/deck05.pdf . March 4, 2016 .
  26. Web site: Inventory Of Decking Opportunities Over Transportation Properties Final Report: 6.7: Transit And Railroad Yards: Brooklyn . . . September 2008 . August 6, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100606135647/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/deck09.pdf . June 6, 2010 .
  27. Web site: MTA Neighborhood Maps: Harlem / Hamilton Heights. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 12, 2015. 2015. July 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712222302/http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M19_harlem_ham_hts_2015.pdf. live.
  28. Web site: A close up of the four doors that lead into the 148 Street-Lenox Terminal Station and the gates that can close the head house off during late nights when the 3 becomes a shuttle bus.. Cox. Jeremiah. June 24, 2008. subwaynut.com. September 7, 2018. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924111611/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n34.jpg. live.
  29. Web site: Looking up the staircase to the station house at 148 St-Lenox Terminal, the two buffers are visible. Cox. Jeremiah. March 17, 2006. subwaynut.com. January 25, 2018. March 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160317110943/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n318.jpg. live.
  30. Web site: A view from the platform of the 18 steps that lead up to the street at 148 Street-Lenox Terminal. Cox. Jeremiah. June 24, 2008. subwaynut.com. January 25, 2018. June 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150607013101/http://subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n313.jpg. live.
  31. Web site: The three turnstyles that lead into the subway system at 148 Street-Lenox Terminal. Cox. Jeremiah. June 24, 2008. subwaynut.com. January 25, 2018. March 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160317160643/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/148n3/148n35.jpg. live.

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