23rd Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
23rd Street is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Park Avenue South and 23rd Street in Gramercy Park and Flatiron District, Manhattan, it is served by 6 trains at all times, <6> trains during weekdays in the peak direction, and 4 trains during late night hours.
23 Street | |||||||||||
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Uptown platform | |||||||||||
Station statistics | |||||||||||
Address | East 23rd Street & Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010 | ||||||||||
Borough | Manhattan | ||||||||||
Locale | Park Avenue South,[lower-alpha 1] Gramercy, Flatiron District | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 40.740169°N 73.98644°W | ||||||||||
Division | A (IRT) | ||||||||||
Line | IRT Lexington Avenue Line | ||||||||||
Services | 4 ![]() 6 ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Transit connections | ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Structure | Underground | ||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Opened | October 27, 1904[3] | ||||||||||
Station code | 405[4] | ||||||||||
Accessible | ![]() | ||||||||||
Wireless service | ![]() | ||||||||||
Opposite-direction transfer available | No | ||||||||||
Traffic | |||||||||||
Passengers (2019) | 8,659,806[7] ![]() | ||||||||||
Rank | 35 out of 424[7] | ||||||||||
Station succession | |||||||||||
Next north | 33rd Street: 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() 28th Street: 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Next ![]() | Grand Central–42nd Street: 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Next south | 18th Street (closed): no service 14th Street–Union Square: 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Next ![]() | Bleecker Street: 4 ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
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History
Construction started on the first IRT line in 1900.[8] The part of the line from City Hall to just south of 42nd Street was part of the original IRT line, opened on October 27, 1904, including a local station at 23rd Street.[3]
On April 13, 1948, the platform extensions to accommodate ten-car trains at this station along with those at 28th Street, and 33rd Street were opened for use.[9]
In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[10]
In late 2014, construction began to install ADA-accessible elevators in the station. To make room for the elevator that serves the northbound platform, the northbound staircase on the northeastern corner of Park Avenue South and 23rd Street had to be demolished, and rebuilt/relocated a few feet down the street.[11] The relocated staircase opened in August 2015. The construction was completed in December 2016 making the station fully ADA-compliant.[12]
Station layout
G | Street level | Entrances/exits![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
P Platform level |
Side platform ![]() | |
Northbound local | ← ![]() ![]() ← ![]() | |
Northbound express | ← ![]() ![]() | |
Southbound express | ![]() ![]() | |
Southbound local | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Side platform ![]() |
This is a typical local station with four tracks and two side platforms. During station renovations in 1988, the beige tiles were removed and the original white ones restored. It has IND-style signs indicating the way to 22nd and 23rd Streets. An ornate fare control grille on the southbound side is a piece of artwork entitled Long Division by artist Valerie Jaudon, which was installed during the renovation. The station features a back-lit "23 Street/Park Avenue South" sign at the platform level fare control.
The station features modern features such as emergency communication systems, vendors on both south and north bound sides, and Wi-Fi, connecting the communications system with the NYPD Emergency direct line. The station does not contain restrooms.
Exits
The station has 2 elevator entrances, one to each platform, as well as 6 staircases to the southbound platform and 5 to the northbound platform.
Exit location[13] | Number of exits | Platform served |
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320 Park Avenue South (basement of Metropolitan Life Tower; west side between 23rd and 24th Streets) |
1 | Southbound (open 7 am – 7 pm, weekdays) |
NW corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street, in the Metropolitan Life Tower | 2 (1 stair, 1 elevator) | Southbound |
SW corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street | 2 (2 stairs) | Southbound |
NE corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street | 2 (1 stair, 1 elevator) | Northbound |
SE corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street | 2 (2 stairs) | Northbound |
NW corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street | 1 | Southbound |
SW corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street | 1 | Southbound |
NE corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street | 1 | Northbound |
SE corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street | 1 | Northbound |
Several staircases blocked by plywood barriers suggest that there was a third exit to the southwestern corner of 23rd Street and Park Avenue South from the southbound platform.
Image gallery
- Entrance kiosks that used to exist
- Mosaics with name and frieze
- Faience ceiling moldings
- The former narrow entrance on the northeastern corner of 23rd St and Park Avenue South to the northbound platform
- Relocated northeastern corner entrance under construction in July 2015
- Relocated northeastern corner entrance, with construction of the elevator in the background
References
- The New York Times and the New York City Department of City Planning consider Park Avenue South to be a small micro-neighborhood between Gramercy and Flatiron. Park Avenue South is also the name of the street on which the 23rd Street station is located.[1][2]
- C.J. Hughes (2018-01-31). "Living In / Park Avenue South: The Other Park Avenue Comes Into Its Own". New York Times.
Mail was occasionally delivered to the wrong addresses — to that other Park Avenue, residents said — and the street appeared to be trapped in real-estate limbo. It was neither here nor there, brushing by brand-name enclaves like Gramercy Park and Flatiron, but not belonging to them, and never really developing a personality of its own. ... With the 6 train directly under Park Avenue South, subway service is never far, although the trains can get jammed. Stops are at East 28th Street and East 23rd Street, and just outside the neighborhood at East 33rd Street and 14th Street‑Union Square, where other lines meet.
- "Chapter 1: Project Description". Hudson Square Rezoning: Final Environmental Impact Statement (PDF). New York City Department of Buildings. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "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.
- "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- Attached PDF to "Governor Cuomo Announces Wireless Service and New "Transit Wireless WiFi" in Queens and Manhattan Subway Stations", governor.ny.gov
- "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- "www.nycsubway.org".
- Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949. hdl:2027/mdp.39015023094926.
- Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "AGENCY LISTS ITS 69 MOST DETERIORATED SUBWAY STATIONS". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- http://www.flatirondistrict.nyc/uploaded/files/PDFs/23rd_Street_ADA_Elevator.pdf
- http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/allframenew_head.html?PROJNUM=t6041310&PLTYPE=1
- "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Union Square / Gramercy" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 23rd Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line). |
- nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: 23rd Street
- Station Reporter — 6 Train
- Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
- MTA's Arts For Transit — 23rd Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
- 23rd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
- 22nd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Platforms from Google Maps Street View