72nd Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

History

New York City mayor John Francis Hylan's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 mi of new lines and taking over nearly 100 mi of existing lines. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and BMT. On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval for the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line. This line consisted of a corridor connecting Inwood, Manhattan, to Downtown Brooklyn, running largely under Eighth Avenue but also paralleling Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan. The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a local station at 70th Street.

In October 1928, the BOT awarded a $444,000 () contract to Charles Mead & Co. for the completion of the 50th Street, 59th Street, and 72nd Street stations on the Eighth Avenue Line. The finishes at the three stations were 20 percent completed by May 1930. By that August, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed and that the three stations from 50th to 72nd Street were 99.9 percent completed. The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles.

A preview event for the new subway was hosted on September 8, 1932, two days before the official opening. The 72nd Street station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated IND's initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street. Construction of the whole line cost $191.2 million (equivalent to $ million in ). While the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line already provided parallel service, the new Eighth Avenue subway via Central Park West provided an alternative route.

Under the 2015–2019 Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Plan, the station underwent a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and was entirely closed for several months. Updates included cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps. A request for proposals for the 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway–110th Street, and 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue stations was issued on June 1, 2017, and the New York City Transit and Bus Committee officially recommended that the MTA Board award the $111 million () contract to ECCO III Enterprises in October 2017. As part of the renovations, the station was closed from May 7, 2018, to October 4, 2018.

Station layout

This underground station has two levels, each of which has from west to east, one side platform, one local track and one express track. Northbound trains stop on the upper level while southbound trains stop on the lower level.

Both platforms lack a trim line, but have mosaic name tablets reading "72ND ST." in white sans-serif lettering on a midnight blue background and black border, as well as small "72" tile captions in white numbering on a black background at regular intervals. Directional signs in white lettering on a black background are below the name tablets. Mosaic signs in white lettering on a blue background on the upper level direct passengers to the staircases going down to the lower level. Grey (previously blue) I-beam columns run along the platforms at regular intervals, alternating ones having the standard black station name plate with white lettering.

72nd Street is the closest station to both the Dakota apartment building (which is immediately outside the station) and the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park.

Exits

Both fare control areas are on the upper-level platform and two staircases, one adjacent to each area, go down to the lower level. The full-time one at 72nd Street is at the north end of the platform. A staircase of four steps go down to a bank of three turnstiles that lead to a token booth. The other fare control area at 70th Street, at the station's south end, remains unstaffed after renovations, but now contains standard turnstiles instead of High Entry/Exit Turnstiles.

Two staircases connect the two platforms, one at each fare control area, and one more used to connect the platforms in the center of the station. There are staircases to both western corners of West 72nd Street and Central Park West. The northwest staircase, outside the Dakota apartment building, is made of stone and is embedded within the Dakota's recessed areaway. In addition, there is an entrance to the southwestern corner of West 70th Street and Central Park West. but reopened in September 2002.

Blue plywood walls and new tiling with a door on the upper level indicate there was a third exit that led to West 71st Street. Prior to the renovation of the station, further evidence of this exit's existence included directional signs with "71" that were covered or replaced with newer tiling and a fenced off staircase on the lower level. During the renovation of the station, the exit and its accompanying staircase between the two platform levels was temporarily uncovered and used as an area to haul out construction debris; the street staircase has since been re-sealed and the staircase between the two platform levels was closed again.

References

References

1. (September 10, 1932). "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". [[The New York Times]].
2. (August 4, 1923). "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times.
3. (March 12, 1924). "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times.
4. (December 10, 1924). "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times.
5. {{Cite Routes Not Taken
6. (5 Feb 1928). "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune.
7. (1928-10-31). "Subway Awards Made; Contracts Let for Brooklyn and Bronx and for 8th Av. Stations.". The New York Times.
8. (1930-05-26). "Progress is Rapid on 8th Av. Subway; Board's Engineers Report Spurt in Building Is Likely to Open the Line in July, 1930". The New York Times.
9. (1930-08-24). "Eighth Av. Subway Nearly Completed; Basic Construction Work From Chambers to 207th St. Done Except on Few Short Stretches". The New York Times.
10. O'Brien, John C.. (9 Sep 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune.
11. (September 9, 1932). "Sightseers Invade New Subway When Barricade Is lifted". The New York Times.
12. (September 9, 1932). "8th Av. Subway Gets First 5c. by Woman's Error: She Peers Into a Station, Hears Train, Pays for Ride, but Is Day Too Early Preparing for Tomorrow's Rush on 8th Ave. Subway". New York Herald Tribune.
13. (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped". [[The New York Times]].
14. Sebring, Lewis B.. (10 Sep 1932). "Midnight Jam Opens City's New Subway: Turnstiles Click Into Action at 12:01 A. M. as Throngs Battle for Places in 'First' Trains Boy, 7, Leads Rush At 42d St. Station City at Last Hails 8th Ave. Line After 7-Year Wait; Cars Bigger, Clean Transit Commissioner Officially Opening New Subway at Midnight". New York Herald Tribune.
15. Duffus, R. l. (September 9, 1932). "NEW LINE FIRST UNIT IN CITY-WIDE SYSTEM; 8th Av. Tube to Ease West Side Congestion at Once -- Branches to Link 4 Boroughs Later. LAST WORD IN SUBWAYS Run From 207th to Chambers St. Cut to 33 Minutes -- 42d St. Has World's Largest Station. COST HAS BEEN $191,200,000 Years of Digging Up City Streets, Tunneling Rock and Building Road Finally Brought to Completion.". The New York Times.
16. Whitford, Emma. (January 8, 2016). "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist.
17. "MTAStations". Government of the State of New York.
18. (June 1, 2017). "Enhanced Stations Initiative Program; Contract A·36622C (Package 3) for Design & Construction at 72nd Street, 86th Street, Cathedral Parkway (110th Street), and 163rd Street - Amsterdam Avenue Stations on the 8th Avenue Line (IND), Manhattan". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
19. (October 23, 2017). "New York City Transit and Bus Committee Meeting". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
20. Warerkar, Tanay. (February 19, 2018). "MTA will shutter 4 Upper Manhattan subway stations for repairs".
21. (October 4, 2018). "72 St BC Station Reopens After Major Repairs to Steel and Concrete Structure, Functional Improvements". Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
22. {{NYCS const. trackref. trackbook3
23. Cox, Jeremiah. (June 24, 2011). "The tiled off area of the former 71 Street entrance".
24. Cox, Jeremiah. (June 22, 2009). "A 72ND St name tablet".
25. Cox, Jeremiah. (June 22, 2009). "A downtown mosaic (the stop has none for uptown since fare control is on that platform)".
26. Martinez, Jose. (October 8, 2018). "The New 72nd Street Subway Station Features Art Designed by Yoko Ono".
27. "MTA - Arts & Design {{!}} NYCT Permanent Art".
28. (2015). "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Upper West Side". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
29. Alpern, Andrew. (2015). "The Dakota: A History of the World's Best-Known Apartment Building". Princeton Architectural Press.
30. (1999). "MTA Neighborhood Map Upper West Side". Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
31. Gottfried, Dick. (November 2002). "Assembly Member Dick Gottfried - Community Update - November 2002". [[New York State Assembly]].
32. "72nd St".
33. (December 11, 2015). "Review of the A and C Lines". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
34. Cox, Jeremiah. (June 24, 2011). "A 72ND St name tablet with a 71 arrow that has had its sign covering removed beneath".
35. Cox, Jeremiah. (June 22, 2009). "The dirty closed off staircase from the downtown platform to 71 Street".
36. Cox, Jeremiah. "The newer less yellowed wall with doors in it that was once the exit to 71 Street".