137th Street–City College station

137th Street–City College is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 137th Street and Broadway in Hamilton Heights, Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times. The station serves the nearby City College of New York and Riverbank State Park.

 137 Street–City College
 
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
South-bound platform
Station statistics
AddressWest 137th Street & Broadway
New York, NY 10031
BoroughManhattan
LocaleHamilton Heights
Coordinates40.821°N 73.954°W / 40.821; -73.954
DivisionA (IRT)
Line      IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services      1  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: M4, M5
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
OpenedOctober 27, 1904 (1904-10-27)[1]
Station code305[2]
Accessiblenot ADA-accessible; accessibility planned
Wireless service[3]
Opposite-direction transfer availableNo
Traffic
Passengers (2019)3,874,783[4]  9%
Rank126 out of 424[4]
Station succession
Next north145th Street: 1 
Next south125th Street: 1 

History
Street stair
Track layout
to 145 St
to 137 St Yd
to 125 St

Operation of the first subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch including the 137th Street station.[5]:162–191[6][1]

In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet (157 m) to allow full ten-car express trains to stop at this station. Previously, the station could only hold six-car local trains. The platform extensions were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the platform extension opened for stations from 103rd Street to Dyckman Street, with the exception of 125th Street.[7][8]

In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[9] As a result, one of future U.S. president Barack Obama's first community organizing efforts after graduating from Columbia University was in conjunction with drawing attention to the poor condition of the station. In 1984 or 1985, Obama, who was working for the New York Public Interest Research Group, was among the leaders of May Day efforts to bring attention to the subway system, particularly the station serving CCNY. Obama traveled to stations to get people to sign letters addressed to local officials and the MTA. Obama was photographed holding a sign saying "May-Day! May-Day!! Sinking Subway System!"[10][11]

On January 2, 2007, film student Cameron Hollopeter suffered a seizure in the station and fell off the platform onto the tracks. Wesley Autrey saved his life as a train was approaching.[12] Autrey was given numerous awards and prizes,[13][14] and his two daughters were given a scholarship.[15]

In 2019, the MTA announced that the station would become ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[16]

Station layout
G Street level Exit/entrance
P
Platform level		 Side platform
Northbound local ← toward 242nd Street (145th Street)
← alighting passengers only (select AM rush trips)
Peak-direction express → No regular service
Southbound local → toward South Ferry (125th Street) →
Side platform
Mosaic by Heins & LaFarge
Cartouche with three faces

This station has three tracks and two side platforms. In the past, it was sometimes used as a terminal station. There are switches north of the station that allow northbound trains to enter the underground 137th Street Yard, then return to the other side of the station for the next trip south. The center express track that passes through the station is currently unused in revenue service.[17]

Just south of the station, the tracks emerge from underground onto the Manhattan Valley Viaduct. The line is elevated at 125th Street, and then underground once again at 116th Street–Columbia University, allowing trains to maintain a relatively level grade while passing through highly uneven terrain.[17]

Prior to the discontinuation of the 9 on May 27, 2005, this station was the northernmost local stop shared by the 1/9 skip-stop service. All stations to the north were served by either the 1 or the 9, or were transfer stations between the services.

The mosaics are in pink and black. The ceramic cartouche is also in pink and shows a three-faced figure. The three faces represent "Respice", "Adspice", and "Prospice", and are an emblem of the nearby City College.

Exits

Each platform has two exits:[18]

  • Northbound: two exits to southeastern corner of 138th Street and Broadway
  • Southbound: two exits, one to each western corner of 137th Street and Broadway

The station was often shown on the TV drama New Amsterdam, though the inside shots were taken at the Grand Central Shuttle station.[19]

References
  1. "Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It; Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train". The New York Times. October 28, 1904. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  2. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  3. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  4. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  6. "On this day - New York City subway opens". History Channel. A&E Television Networks. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  7. Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949. hdl:2027/mdp.39015023094926.
  8. "More Long Platforms – Five Subway Stations on IRT to Accommodate 10-Car Trains" (PDF). The New York Times. July 10, 1948. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  9. Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Subway Stations". The New York Times. p. B5S. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  10. Fink, Jason (November 9, 2008). "Obama stood out, even during brief 1985 NYPIRG job". Newsday.
  11. Harpaz, Beth J. (November 22, 2009). "Obama's 'lost years' in Manhattan – Hawaii's Newspaper". The Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  12. Buckley, Cara (January 3, 2007). "Man Is Rescued by Stranger on Subway Tracks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  13. Loeser, Stu; Kelly, Matthew (January 4, 2007). "Mayor Bloomberg Presents Award to Subway Hero Wesley Autrey". nyc.gov. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  14. Chung, Jen (January 5, 2007). "City Honors Awesome Subway Hero Wesley Autrey". Gothamist. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  15. Coultan, Mark (January 6, 2007). "NY toasts Subway Superman after death-defying rescue". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  16. "MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Press release). New York City. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  17. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  18. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Harlem / Hamilton Heights" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  19. Research Girl (March 11, 2008). "New Amsterdam". Television without Pity. Post #370. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011.

Further reading
  • Stookey, Lee (1994). Subway ceramics : a history and iconography of mosaic and bas relief signs and plaques in the New York City subway system. Brattleboro, Vt: L. Stookey. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0. OCLC 31901471.
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