72nd Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

72nd Street is an express station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Broadway, 72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue (including Verdi Square and Sherman Square) on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is served by the 1, 2, and 3 trains at all times.

 72 Street
 
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Original control house (left) and newer control house, located on opposite sides of 72nd Street
Station statistics
Addressarea of West 72nd Street, Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10023
BoroughManhattan
LocaleUpper West Side
Coordinates40.779°N 73.982°W / 40.779; -73.982
DivisionA (IRT)
Line      IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services      1  (all times)
      2  (all times)
      3  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: M5, M7, M11, M57, M72, M104
MTA Bus: BxM2
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedOctober 27, 1904 (1904-10-27)[1]
Station code313[2]
Accessible ADA-accessible
Wireless service[3]
Opposite-direction transfer availableYes
Traffic
Passengers (2019)12,379,560[4] 3.9%
Rank23 out of 424[4]
Station succession
Next north96th Street (express): 2  3 
79th Street (local): 1  2 
Next north96th Street: 1  2  3 
Next south66th Street–Lincoln Center (local): 1  2 
Times Square–42nd Street (express): 2  3 
Next south66th Street–Lincoln Center (local): 1  2 
Times Square–42nd Street (express): 2  3 

Control House on 72nd Street
MPSInterborough Rapid Transit Subway Control Houses TR
NRHP reference No.80002684[5]
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1980
72nd Street Subway Station (IRT)
New York City Landmark No. 1096
MPSNew York City Subway System MPS
NRHP reference No.04001017[5]
NYCL No.1096
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 17, 2004
Designated NYCLNovember 24, 1981[6]

History

Track layout
to 96 St
to 79 St
to 66 St
to 42 St
Uptown island platform

Opening

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 72nd Street station.[7]:162–191[8] The original configuration of the station was inadequate by IRT standards. It had just one entrance (the control house on the traffic island between 71st and 72nd Streets, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places), and the platforms and stairways were unusually narrow. There were no crossovers or crossunders as the control house had separate turnstile banks and token booths for each side. Express trains ran on the innermost two tracks, while local trains ran on the outer pair.

Renovation

During the 1950s, the New York City Transit Authority (now the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA) considered converting the station to a local station by walling off the express tracks from the platforms. This would have coincided with 59th Street–Columbus Circle, which is a major transfer point to the IND Eighth Avenue Line, becoming an express stop.

A substantial renovation was completed on October 29, 2002, providing a new, larger control house on the traffic island between 72nd and 73rd Streets and slightly wider platforms at the north end of the station.[9]

Station layout

G Street level Exit/entrance
M Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
Elevators inside station house on north side of 72nd Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue
P
Platform level
Northbound local toward 242nd Street (79th Street)
toward 241st Street late nights (79th Street)
Island platform
Northbound express toward 241st Street (96th Street)
toward 148th Street (96th Street)
Southbound express toward Flatbush Avenue (Times Square–42nd Street)
toward New Lots Avenue (Times Square late nights) (Times Square–42nd Street)
Island platform
Southbound local toward South Ferry (66th Street–Lincoln Center)
toward Flatbush Avenue late nights (66th Street–Lincoln Center)

At platform level, the station is similar to its original configuration, with two narrow island platforms and four tracks.[10]

Exits

There are two station houses, both of which provide entry and exit: the original station house south of 72nd Street, and the new one north of 72nd Street.[11]

The crossovers and elevator are only in the northernmost station house. This control house has two staircases and one elevator from each platform going up to a crossover, where on either side a turnstile bank leads to either 72nd or 73rd Streets.[11] Only the southern turnstile bank, to the northern side of 72nd Street, has a staffed token booth. The elevators from this turnstile bank make this station ADA-accessible.[11][9] This control house has an artwork, Laced Canopy by Robert Hickman, which consists of a mosaic pattern on the central skylight; if looked at in the right way, the knots within the pattern make up the notation for an excerpt of Verdi's Rigoletto.

The original control house was renovated and now has a total of five staircases: two to the southbound platform and three to the northbound platform. These staircases go up to a crossover. On the north side, an unstaffed turnstile bank leads to 72nd Street; on the south side, three High Entry/Exit Turnstiles lead to 71st Street.[11] This control house has artful wrought iron pillars, dating back to the days of the original subway system, as well as decorated ceiling beams.

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. "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  6. "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. November 24, 1981. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  8. "Subway Opening To-day With Simple Ceremony – Exercises at One O'Clock – Public to be Admitted at Seven – John Hay May Be Present – Expected to Represent the Federal Government – President Roosevelt Sends Letter of Regret" (PDF). The New York Times. October 27, 1904. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  9. "New Headhouse Opens at West 72nd Street". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 29, 2002. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  10. Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 via Google Books.
  11. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Upper West Side" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
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