72nd Street IRT Station

MuseumCast: The New York Transit Museum Podcast Series

If you dont go aboveground at 72nd Street, youll miss the stations most distinctive feature its entrance. Instead of the standard IRT cast iron kiosk, 72nd Street received one of only six specially designed control houses. These brick and stone Flemish Renaissanceinspired buildings have exterior features executed in terra cotta. Of the six original control houses, only three still exist today. They are located at 72nd Street and Bowling Green in Manhattan, and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. The control houses at 103rd Street, 116th StreetColumbia University, and 149th Street in Manhattan were torn down. The 72nd Street control house was restored in 2003.An ink on linen drawing in the collection of The NewYork Historical Society dated October 22, 1903 shows a nearly final design for this control house. While most control houses were similar in design, the amount of available land allowed for a larger building at 72nd Street. In order to save interior space, the original design did not permit free transfers between the uptown and downtown platforms. Still, it was overcrowded from opening day. MTA helped alleviate some of this overcrowding by building a contemporary control house on the northern side of 72nd Street in 2003. Designed by architects Gruzen Samton and Richard Dattner amp Partners, this building is a contemporary reimagining of Heins amp LaFarges original control house. Natural light now streams into the station below, while at street level a newsstand and plaza seating contribute to the vitality of local street life. Back underground, the station has retained much of its original unique ceramic detail. Here, Heins amp LaFarge made a departure from their standard design the station name does not appear in any of the ceramics. Instead, the design is comprised of large mosaic panels every 50 feet. These are sometimes referred to as quotrugsquot because they look like oriental carpets. With blue as the featured color, fleurdelis, leaf, and geometric patterns make up these richly detailed mosaics.By the time the 72nd Street station opened in 1904, this Upper West Side neighborhood was thriving. Many large apartment buildings including the Dakota and the Ansonia opened in the area in the late 1800s. But the subway ushered in further growth as the area became an easy commute to downtown. Commercial endeavors restaurants, shops, and theaters catered to the burgeoning population.