116th Street station (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)

New York City Subway station in Manhattan 116th Street (disambiguation)116th Street August 2023 August 2023 116 Street 116th St Lenox IRT SB Platform.jpg Southbound platform West 116th Street & Malcolm X BoulevardNew York, New York Manhattan Harlem 40.802 N 73.95 W inline,title IRT IRT Lenox Avenue Line Lenox south NYCT Bus: M7 M102 M116 2 side platforms 2 Underground 1904 11 23 New York City Subway Lenox 125th Street 110th Street–Malcolm X Plaza alltimes y 125th Street 110th Street–Malcolm X Plaza IRT Lenox Avenue Line 330 The 116th Street station is a station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 116th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, it is served by the 2 and 3 trains at all times. The 116th Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction on the tunnel segment that includes the 116th Street station started on October 2 of the same year. The station opened on November 23, 1904. The station platforms were lengthened in 1910. The 116th Street station contains two side platforms and two tracks. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Lenox Avenue's intersection with 116th Street and are not connected to each other within fare control. History Construction and opening Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.21 However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act.Walker James Blaine https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsrapid00walkgoog Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917 1918 Law Printing New York, N.Y. November 6, 2016139–140 The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.October 23, 1979 Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf November 19, 2019 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission September 21, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200921135400/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf live3 A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899.148 The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,https://archive.org/details/cu31924022794253/page/n253/mode/2up?q=april+28 Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners 1905 229–236 in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.165 In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.4 Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.182 The 116th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's East Side Branch (now the Lenox Avenue Line). Farrell & Hopper began building the section from 110th Street to 135th Street on August 30, 1900, subcontracting the section north of 116th Street to John C. Rodgers.Scott Charles 1978 Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf January 17, 2021 December 20, 2020 Historic American Engineering Record 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283)252 The excavation was relatively easy because the subway was under one side of Lenox Avenue and there were no street railway tracks to work around.252–253 On November 23, 1904, the East Side Branch opened to 145th Street.https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191 Report of the Public Service Commission For The First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1909 1910 Public Service Commission Albany en 191 January 8, 2021 February 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230205172826/https://books.google.com/books?id=kKUlAQAAIAAJ&q=november+26%2C+1904+subway+extension&pg=PA191 livehttps://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/23/100479050.pdf East Side Subway Open — Train from 145th Street to Broadway in 9 Minutes and 40 Seconds November 23, 1904 The New York Times March 27, 2016 1 0362-4331 January 23, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220123113320/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/11/23/100479050.pdf live Initially, the station was served by East Side local and express trains. Local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry or Atlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 145th Street or West Farms (180th Street).https://archive.org/details/pocketguidetone00yorkgoog The Merchants' Association of New York Pocket Guide to New York March 1906 Merchants' Association of New York 19–26 en Express trains to 145th Street were eliminated in 1906, and West Farms express trains operated through to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1916 119 January 8, 2021 May 11, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210511155639/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151 live Service changes and station renovations To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.Hood Clifton 1978 The Impact of the IRT in New York City https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf December 20, 2020 Historic American Engineering Record 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208) January 17, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live168 As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $c US 1.5 1910 1 million in US) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $c US 0.5 1910 1 million in US) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596 Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910 1911 Public Service Commission en January 8, 2021 February 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230205172820/https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596 live15 The platforms at the 116th Street station were extended 55 ft to both the north and south.112 On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the East Side Branch.168https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/23/archives/tencar-trains-in-subway-today-new-service-begins-on-lenox-av-line.html Ten-car Trains in Subway to-day; New Service Begins on Lenox Av. Line and Will Be Extended to Broadway To-morrow. January 23, 1911 The New York Times April 5, 2018 en-US 0362-4331 subscription April 5, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180405224750/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/23/archives/tencar-trains-in-subway-today-new-service-begins-on-lenox-av-line.html live left|thumb|Southbound street stair In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.August 2, 1918 Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor 1 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1918/08/02/archives/open-new-subway-lines-to-traffic-called-a-triumph-great-h-system.html subscription November 6, 2016 January 6, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210106233417/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/08/02/archives/open-new-subway-lines-to-traffic-called-a-triumph-great-h-system.html?searchResultPosition=1 live The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.1940-06-13 City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html 2022-05-14 0362-4331 January 7, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220107193115/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html live June 13, 1940 Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration 25 New York Herald Tribune 1248134780 The IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock. These fleet contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948.Brown Nicole How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious amNewYork May 17, 2019 https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-name-1-31116195/ January 27, 2021 March 2, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210302020704/https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-name-1-31116195/ live The route to White Plains Road, formerly the route to West Farms, became known as the 2, while the route to Lenox Avenue–145th Street became the 3.Friedlander Alex Lonto Arthur Raudenbush Henry April 1960 A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960/1960-01-bulletin.pdf New York Division Bulletin Electric Railroaders' Association 3 1 2 March 28, 2021 September 14, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200914232631/https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960/1960-01-bulletin.pdf dead The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced plans in 1956 to add fluorescent lights above the edges of the station's platforms.Katz Ralph 1956-01-27 Subway Stations to Get New Lights; $3,750,000 to Be Spent on Fluorescents for I.R.T. and B.M.T. Transfer Points en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/27/archives/subway-stations-to-get-new-lights-3750000-to-be-spent-on.html 2023-05-08 0362-4331 May 11, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230511214254/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/27/archives/subway-stations-to-get-new-lights-3750000-to-be-spent-on.html live In 1959, all 2 and 3 trains became express.February 7, 1959 Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect 21 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1959/02/07/archives/wagner-praises-modernized-irt-mayor-and-transit-authority-are.html November 6, 2016 0362-4331 subscription January 1, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180101082503/http://www.nytimes.com/1959/02/07/archives/wagner-praises-modernized-irt-mayor-and-transit-authority-are.html?_r=0 live Starting on March 2, 1998, the tunnel was reconstructed along with the cracked tunnel floor, and the 116th Street station was closed for a complete renovation. This was done to correct a major water problem that had existed for many years due to the presence of the Harlem Creek and other underground streams, which caused extensive flooding, water damage, and seepage problems that occasionally contributed to severe service disruptions.http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm New York City Transit - History and Chronology mta.info Metropolitan Transportation Authority live https://web.archive.org/web/20200324081453/http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm March 24, 2020 April 8, 2020Lii Jane H. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/28/nyregion/tunnel-work-to-cut-service-on-2-subways.html Tunnel Work To Cut Service On 2 Subways February 28, 1998 The New York Times January 17, 2020 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161534/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/28/nyregion/tunnel-work-to-cut-service-on-2-subways.html March 28, 2020 B-4 en-US 0362-4331 The project cost $82 million and was finished on October 12, 1998.Lueck Thomas J. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/13/nyregion/beating-deadline-normal-service-returns-for-the-nos-2-and-3-subway-lines.html Beating Deadline, Normal Service Returns for the Nos. 2 and 3 Subway Lines October 13, 1998 The New York Times January 17, 2020 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161535/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/13/nyregion/beating-deadline-normal-service-returns-for-the-nos-2-and-3-subway-lines.html March 28, 2020 B-3 en-US 0362-4331 During the reconstruction, many 2 trains were rerouted via the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, while the 3 trains were rerouted to the 137th Street–City College station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Each of the two Lenox Avenue Line tracks were alternately taken out of service and supplemental shuttle bus service connecting to other lines in the area were provided for much of this time.Newman Andy https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/12/nyregion/repairs-to-lenox-ave-tunnel-to-affect-many-subway-lines.html Repairs to Lenox Ave. Tunnel To Affect Many Subway Lines December 12, 1997 The New York Times July 31, 2013 live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161538/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/12/nyregion/repairs-to-lenox-ave-tunnel-to-affect-many-subway-lines.html March 28, 2020 B-8http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-lenox-rehab.html Lenox Rehab '98 2 3 Lenox Line Service Guide March 2-October 1998 1998 thejoekorner.com New York City Transit live https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161536/http://www.thejoekorner.com/brochures/index-lenox-rehab.html March 28, 2020 November 6, 2016 Station layout GroundStreet levelExit/entrancePlatform levelSide platformNorthbound← newyork 2 toward NYCS Wakefield–241st Street (NYCS 125th Street Lenox)← newyork 3 toward NYCS Harlem–148th Street (125th Street)Southbound→ newyork 2 toward NYCS Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (NYCS 110th Street–Malcolm X Plaza) →→ newyork 3 toward NYCS New Lots Avenue New Lots (NYCS 34th Street–Penn Station Broadway-Seventh late nights) (110th Street–Malcolm X Plaza) →Side platform The station has two tracks and two side platforms.trackref trackbook3 The 2 and 3 trains stop here at all times.timetable 2timetable 3 The station is between NYCS 110th Street–Malcolm X Plaza to the south and 125th Street to the north.map The platforms were originally 350 ft long, like at other stations north of 96th Street.48 The platform extensions are at the north ends of the original platforms.41 Fare control is at platform level. There are no crossovers or crossunders between the two side platforms to allow free transfer between directions. Design As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method.237 The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. This trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 in thick.Framberger David J. 1978 Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf 2020-12-20 Historic American Engineering Record 1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412) January 17, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf live9 The platforms consist of 3 in cm -thick mid concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15 ft, while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 ft, support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.49 There is a 1 in on gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4 in on-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.9 The original decorative scheme consisted of blue tile station-name tablets, buff tile bands, a light blue terracotta cornice, and dark blue terracotta plaques.41 The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.31 The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Manhattan Glass Tile Company and terracotta contractor Atlantic Terra Cotta Company.41 It features extensive mosaics featuring Harlem history and famous African-Americans. It was fully renovated as part of the 1998 Lenox Avenue subway reconstruction project. The reconstruction project gave this station all new wall tiling and restored the "116" terra cotta wall cartouches. The artworks here are Minton's Playhouse on the uptown platform, and Movers and Shakers on the downtown platform (both by Vincent Smith, 1999).http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=3&station=4&xdev=184 116th Street - Vincent Smith - Minton's Playhouse (uptown), The Movers and Shakers (downtown), 1999 web.mta.info Metropolitan Transportation Authority live https://web.archive.org/web/20200408083825/http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=3&station=4&xdev=184 April 8, 2020 April 8, 2020 Exits Two staircases from each platform lead to the intersection of Lenox Avenue and West 116th Street. The staircases from the southbound platform lead to the western corners, while those from the northbound platform lead to the eastern corners.Harlem/East Harlem References External links http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?199:3151 IRT White Plains Road Line 116th Street nycsubway.org — Minton's Playhouse/Movers and Shakers Artwork by Vincent Smith (1999) Station Reporter — 2 Train Station Reporter — 3 Train The Subway Nut — 116th Street Pictures https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214752/http://www.subwaynut.com/irt/116n2/index.php March 3, 2016 MTA's Arts For Transit — 116th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line) 116th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View Platforms from Google Maps Street View y y yes Category:1904 establishments in New York City Category:Harlem Category:IRT Lenox Avenue Line stations Category:New York City Subway stations in Manhattan Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1904