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Bleecker Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
Encyclopedia
Bleecker Street is a local station
on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line
of the New York City Subway
, located at the intersection of Lafayette
and Bleecker Street
s in the NoHo
neighborhood of Manhattan
. It is served by the 6
train at all times, the <6> during weekdays in peak direction, and the 4
during late night hours.
trains during the day. The two side platform
s are offset by about three-fourths of their lengths. Fare control is at platform level, with no crossover or crossunder. The station features typical IRT
mosaics with two styles of small "Bleecker Street" mosaics made by the Grueby Faience Company
in 1904. There is a closed exit gate on the southbound side across from the northbound fare control.
A free transfer to the Broadway – Lafayette Street station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line
is available at the south end of the southbound platform. There is no free transfer from northbound trains; connection from the northbound trains entails a one-block walk at street level outside of fare control and thus requires the payment of an additional fare (except for unlimited-ride MetroCard holders). As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
's 2005–2009 capital program, about US$50 million has been allocated towards making the station ADA-accessible
, creating a free transfer to Broadway – Lafayette Street from the northbound platform, and rehabilitating the entire station. As of November 2011, the $94 million project is to be opened to the public by early 2012.
The station has blue Grueby faience
station name plaques which date back to the origins in 1905. Each plaque was assembled from 27 pieces of faience ceramic. They depict poppies. The smaller blue cartouche
s show tulip
s, probably a reminder of the Dutch origins of the city. Later Vickers station tablets complete the station, five different colours were used for the mosaics.
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line
IRT Lexington Avenue Line
The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, located at the intersection of Lafayette
Lafayette Street (Manhattan)
Lafayette Street is a major north-south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan, which runs roughly parallel to Broadway to the west. Originally, the part of the street below Houston Street was called Elm Place....
and Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is a street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which was once a major center for American bohemia.Bleecker...
s in the NoHo
NoHo
NoHo, for North of Houston Street is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly bounded by Houston Street on the south, The Bowery on the east, Astor Place on the north, and Broadway on the west. NoHo is wedged between Greenwich Village, west of Broadway, and the East Village...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It is served by the 6
6 (New York City Subway service)
The 6 Lexington Avenue and Pelham Local and Lexington Avenue Local and Pelham Express are two rapid transit services of the New York City Subway. The 6 local has a circle shape while the ' express has a diamond shape...
train at all times, the <6> during weekdays in peak direction, and the 4
4 (New York City Subway service)
The 4 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
during late night hours.
Layout
There are four tracks here, with the two center express tracks served by 4 and 55 (New York City Subway service)
The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
trains during the day. The two side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s are offset by about three-fourths of their lengths. Fare control is at platform level, with no crossover or crossunder. The station features typical IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
mosaics with two styles of small "Bleecker Street" mosaics made by the Grueby Faience Company
Grueby Faience Company
The Grueby Faience Company, founded in 1894, was an American ceramics company that produced distinctive vases and tiles during America's Arts and Crafts Movement....
in 1904. There is a closed exit gate on the southbound side across from the northbound fare control.
A free transfer to the Broadway – Lafayette Street station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line
IND Sixth Avenue Line
The Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and continues south through the Rutgers Street Tunnel to Brooklyn...
is available at the south end of the southbound platform. There is no free transfer from northbound trains; connection from the northbound trains entails a one-block walk at street level outside of fare control and thus requires the payment of an additional fare (except for unlimited-ride MetroCard holders). As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
's 2005–2009 capital program, about US$50 million has been allocated towards making the station ADA-accessible
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
, creating a free transfer to Broadway – Lafayette Street from the northbound platform, and rehabilitating the entire station. As of November 2011, the $94 million project is to be opened to the public by early 2012.
The station has blue Grueby faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
station name plaques which date back to the origins in 1905. Each plaque was assembled from 27 pieces of faience ceramic. They depict poppies. The smaller blue cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
s show tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s, probably a reminder of the Dutch origins of the city. Later Vickers station tablets complete the station, five different colours were used for the mosaics.
Further reading
- Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0
External links
- Station Reporter — 6 Train
- Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
- MTA's Arts For Transit — Broadway – Lafayette Street/Bleecker Street
- Bleecker Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Second Av Sagas February 2, 2010
- Weidlinger Associates page on Bleecker Street Station