59th Street–Columbus Circle station

Newly rehabilitated retail space

This station complex has many entrances/exits from the streets. The one at the north end of Columbus Circle leads to the Trump International Hotel and Tower. It has a double wide staircase going down to an intermediate level before another double-wide staircase goes down to fare control, where a now unused token booth and turnstile bank lead to the IND mezzanine as well as the north end of the northbound IRT platform. There is also one elevator from the back of the staircase that goes down to fare control.[6]

Two staircases from the northwest corner of Broadway and West 60th Street go down to an unstaffed fare control area, where three full height turnstiles and a short staircase provide direct access to the north end of the southbound IRT platform. Another staircase at the southern island of the aforementioned intersection go down to a bank of turnstiles leading to the center of the same platform.[6]

The Time Warner Center at the northwest corner of West 58th Street and Eighth Avenue has a set of elevators, escalators, and staircases going down to fare control, where a token booth and turnstile bank provide entrance/exit to the station. A single staircase goes down to each IND platform at their extreme south end while a passageway leads to the southbound IRT platform. The mezzanine also has a staircase going up to the northeast corner of West 58th Street and Eighth Avenue. There is a passageway leading to another staircase that goes up to the northwest corner of West 57th Street and Eighth Avenue. This staircase is built within the Hearst Tower.[6] A complex of restaurants and shops called "Turnstyle" opened in this passageway in April 2016.[7]

The south end of the northbound IRT platform has a same-level unstaffed fare control area containing full height turnstiles and two staircases going up to the south corners of West 59th Street and Broadway.[6]

In October 1992, at a public hearing, New York City Transit proposed closing street staircase S6 to the northwest corner 61st Street and Central Park West and reopening street staircase S2 at 60th Street and Central Park West, located to the east of the circular stair, in order to expand the Transit Police District Command to accommodate more officers and increase the efficiency of the operation. The circular staircase was expected to be reconstructed to provide more direct access The 61st Street exit was operated part-time, closing at nights, consisted of a high exit turnstile and was used by 2400 daily passengers. It was located in a remote unmonitored portion of the station, making safety an added consideration for its closure. Four staircases to the two platforms that led to the passageway leading to the exit were removed.[8][9]

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 59th Street station.[14]^:162–191[15]

Despite being a major transfer point to the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the station was constructed as a local stop prior to the IND's construction in 1932. During the 1950s, the New York City Transit Authority considered converting the station to an express stop by rerouting the local tracks to the outside of the platforms.[16] This would have coincided with 72nd Street becoming a local stop by fencing off or walling up the express side of the island platforms there. The conversion of the station to an express station was planned to serve the under construction New York Coliseum.[16]

When the station opened, there was an underpass between the downtown and uptown platforms. In 1991, it was closed and the staircase entrances covered over. Today, passengers use the IND mezzanine and platforms to transfer between directions. Both platforms have two fare controls which are on the same level, one of which connects to the mezzanine leading to the IND platforms.

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  Name in mosaics
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  Original cartouche featuring Columbus's ship the Santa Maria
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  Detailed view of the ceiling
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  The uptown platform in 1978

Passageway between the two IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line platforms via the center IND platform.

The unused center platform during renovation

When the Eighth Avenue Line was being built, the station was originally planned to be located at 57th Street, with entrances extending up to 61st Street. This station, along with the IRT station, was designed as a major transit hub under Columbus Circle.[18] The station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.[17]

The center platform was originally built along with the other platforms, but was first used in passenger service in 1959. It served the purpose of a Spanish solution, allowing passengers to exit both sides of subway cars as the express trains would open the doors on both sides. Newer subway cars' door controls made it more difficult to open doors on both sides of the train simultaneously; thus this solution became impractical and the platform was closed on November 8, 1973. In 2007–2010, it was converted to a crossunder between the IRT side platforms. Large metal fences have been erected to keep people away from the edges.