Prospect Avenue station (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)

Prospect Avenue is a local New York City Subway station on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line in Brooklyn. It is located at Prospect Avenue and Fourth Avenue near the convergence of the Gowanus, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, and South Park Slope neighborhoods. It is served by the R train at all times. The D and N trains also stop here during late nights, and some rush-hour W trains stop here in the peak direction.

 Prospect Avenue
 
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Southbound platform
Station statistics
AddressProspect Avenue & Fourth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215[1]
BoroughBrooklyn
LocaleGowanus, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, South Park Slope
Coordinates40°39′55″N 73°59′35″W
DivisionB (BMT)
LineBMT Fourth Avenue Line
Services      D  (late nights)
​      N  (late nights)
​      R  (all times)
​      W  (limited rush hour service only)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: B37 (on Third Avenue); B63 (on Fifth Avenue)[2]
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedJune 22, 1915 (June 22, 1915)[3]
ClosedJune 5, 2017 (2017-06-05) (reconstruction)
RebuiltNovember 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)
Station code030[4]
Wireless service[5]
Opposite-direction transfer availableNo
Traffic
Passengers (2019)1,780,893[6]  8.7%
Rank260 out of 424[6]
Station succession
Next northNinth Street: D  ​N  ​R  ​W 
Next south25th Street: D  ​N  ​R  ​W 

The Prospect Avenue station was constructed as part of the Fourth Avenue Line, which was approved in 1905. Construction on the segment of the line that includes Prospect Avenue started on December 20, 1909, and was completed in May 1912. The station opened on June 22, 1915 as part of the initial portion of the BMT Fourth Avenue Line to 59th Street. The station's platforms were lengthened in 1926–1927,[7] and again during a renovation in 1968–1970.[8] The station was also renovated in 1970 and 2017.

History
The station prior to renovation

Construction

The Prospect Avenue station was constructed as part of the Fourth Avenue Line, the plan for which was initially adopted on June 1, 1905.[9] The Rapid Transit Commission was succeeded on July 1, 1907, by the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), which approved the plan for the line in late 1907.[10][11] The contract for the section of the line that included the Prospect Avenue station, Route 11A3, which extended from 10th Street to 27th Street, was awarded on May 22, 1908, to Tidewater Building Company and Thomas B. Bryson for $2,043,162.31 (equivalent to $58,139,000 in 2019). The New York City Board of Estimate approved the contract on October 29, 1909.[10][12] Construction on the segment started on December 20, 1909, and was completed in May 1912.[9]

As part of negotiations between New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company for the expansion of the city's transit network, the line was leased to a subsidiary of the BRT. The agreement, known as Contract 4 of the Dual Contracts, was signed on March 19, 1913.[10] Prospect Avenue opened on June 22, 1915, as part of an extension of the subway to Coney Island station, which included the Fourth Avenue Line north of 59th Street as well as the entire Sea Beach Line.[13][3] The station's opening was marked with a competition between two trains heading from Chambers Street station in Manhattan to the Coney Island station, one heading via the West End Line and the other via the Sea Beach Line; the latter got to Coney Island first.[3]

Renovations

1920s

On June 27, 1922, the New York State Transit Commission directed its engineers to prepare plans to lengthen the platforms at 23 stations on the lines of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), the successor to the BRT, to accommodate eight-car trains. As part of the project, Prospect Avenue's platforms would have been lengthened from 435 feet (133 m) to 530 feet (160 m).[14][15] Though the Transit Commission ordered the BMT to lengthen these platforms in September 1923, progress on the extensions did not occur until February 16, 1925, when the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT) directed its engineers to prepare plans to lengthen the platforms at this and eleven other stations along the Fourth Avenue Line. It estimated the project's cost to be $633,000 (equivalent to $9,228,000 in 2019).[16] The NYCBOT received bids for the project on February 25, 1926.[17] The contract was awarded to Corson Construction Company for $345,021 (equivalent to $4,983,000 in 2019).[18] The extensions opened on August 1, 1927.[7]

1950s and 1960s

In July 1959, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced that it would install fluorescent lighting at the Prospect Avenue station and five other stations along Fourth Avenue for between $175,000 and $200,000. Bids on the project were to be advertised on August 7, 1959 and completed by fall 1960.[19]

In the 1960s, the NYCTA started a project to lengthen station platforms on its lines in Southern Brooklyn to 615 feet (187 m) to accommodate 10-car trains.[8] On July 14, 1967, the NYCTA awarded a contract to conduct test borings at eleven stations on the Fourth Avenue Line, including Prospect Avenue, to W. M. Walsh Corporation for $6,585 (equivalent to $50,492 in 2019) in preparation of the construction of platform extensions.[20] The NYCTA issued an invitation for bids on the project to extend the platforms at stations along the Fourth Avenue Line between Pacific Street and 36th Street, including those at Prospect Avenue, on March 28, 1969.[21] Funding for the renovation projects came out of the NYCTA's 1969–1970 Capital Budget, costing $8,177,890 in total.[22]

As part of the renovation project, the station's platforms were extended,[8] and the station's elaborate mosaic tile walls were covered over with 8-by-16-inch (20 by 41 cm) white cinderblock tiles. The latter change, which was also made to 15 other stations on the BMT Broadway and Fourth Avenue Lines, was criticized for being dehumanizing. The NYCTA spokesman stated that the old tiles were in poor condition and that the change was made to improve the appearance of stations and provide uniformity. Furthermore, it did not consider the old mosaics to have "any great artistic merit".[23]

2017

Under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2015–2019 Capital Program, the station, along with thirty other New York City Subway stations, were scheduled to undergo a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative. Upgrades were to include cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps.[24][25] From January to May 2016, Grimshaw Architects worked on a design for the station's renovation, with Arup Group acting as a consultant.[26] The contract for Package 1 of the renovations, which covers renovations at the Prospect Avenue, 53rd Street, and Bay Ridge Avenue stations on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, was awarded on November 30, 2016[26] to Citnalta-Forte Joint Venture for $72 million, the first design–build contract in the subway system's history.[27] The station closed on June 5, 2017 for these renovations,[28][29][30] and reopened on November 2, 2017, a month ahead of schedule.[31]

Station layout
Track layout
to 9 St
to 25 St
G Street level Exit/entrance
P
Platform level		 Side platform
Northbound local ← toward 71st Avenue (Whitehall Street late nights) (Ninth Street)
← toward 205th Street late nights (Ninth Street)
← toward Ditmars Boulevard late nights (Ninth Street)
← toward Ditmars Boulevard (select weekday trips) (Ninth Street)
Northbound express ← do not stop here
Southbound express → do not stop here →
Southbound local → toward 95th Street (25th Street) →
→ toward Coney Island late nights (25th Street) →
→ toward 86th Street (select weekday trips) (25th Street) →
Side platform
Entrance to the southbound platform on the west side of Fourth Avenue

This underground station is a local station with four tracks and two side platforms.[32] The R stops here at all times;[33] some rush-hour W trains stop here in the peak direction;[34] and the D and N stop here during late nights, but use the center express tracks to bypass the station during daytime hours.[35][36] The station has a full curtain wall separating the local and express tracks.[37]

The platforms have no columns except on the north ends, where the platforms were extended in 1970. These I-beam columns are cream colored. The ceiling in this area is lower.[38][39]

Prior to the station's 1970 renovation, it was finished all in white and marble tile, and it had its own color scheme to allow regular passengers to identify the station based only on the color of the marble trimmings.[10] Since that renovation, the station walls have consisted of white cinderblock tiles, except for small recesses in the walls, which contain blue-painted cinderblock tiles. The blue cinderblock field contains the station-name signs and white text pointing to the exits. During the 2017 renovation, the cinder block tiles installed in the 1970s were restored, and new black floor tiles and yellow platform treads were installed. The blue cinder block recessions installed in the 1970s were covered with small black mosaic tiles.[40]

The 2017 artwork at this station consists of mosaics by Monika Bravo.[41] They signify local landmarks such as the Brooklyn Army Terminal.[42]

Exits

The station's only fare controls are near the center of each platform, at the platform level.[43] Until the 2017 renovations,[44] they had their original trim line, colored brown with "P" at regular intervals, a bank of turnstiles, and token booth.[45] The Manhattan-bound side has two street stairs to the east sidewalk of Fourth Avenue near the Prospect Expressway, while the Bay Ridge-bound side has one to the southwest corner of Prospect Avenue and Fourth Avenue.[46][47] There are no crossovers or crossunders to allow free transfer between directions.[48][49]

References
  1. "Borough of Brooklyn, New York City". Government of New York City. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  3. "Through Tube to Coney, 48 Minutes: First Train on Fourth Avenue Route Beats West End Line Eleven Minutes". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 22, 1915. Retrieved June 29, 2015 – via newspapers.com .
  4. "Station Developers' Information". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  5. "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  6. "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership 2014–2019". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  7. "B.M.T. Stations Ready For Eight-Car Trains". Brooklyn Standard Union. August 1, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2020 – via newspapers.com .
  8. New York City Transit Authority Annual Report For The Year June 30, 1960. New York City Transit Authority. 1960. pp. 16–17.
  9. Rogoff, David (May 1961). "The Fourth Ave. Subway". New York Division Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association: 2–10. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  10. Fourth Avenue Subway, Brooklyn's New Transportation Line: A Part of the Dual System of Rapid Transit of the City of New York. Public Service Commission. June 19, 1915. p. 18.
  11. "Fourth Avenue Subway Is Sent To A Committee". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 20, 1908. pp. 1–2. Retrieved May 4, 2017 – via newspapers.com .
  12. "Fourth Avenue Subway To Be Political Issue". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 11, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  13. Cudahy, Brian J. (2009). How We Got to Coney Island: The Development of Mass Transportation in Brooklyn and Kings County. Fordham University Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 978-0-8232-2211-7. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  14. Legislature, New York (State) (1923). Second Annual Report of the Transit Commission (For the Calendar Year 1922). New York State Transit Commission. p. 100.
  15. Proceedings of the Transit Commission, State of New York Volume III From January 1 to December 31, 1923. New York State Transit Commission. 1923. p. 1277.
  16. "12 B-M. T. Stations To Be Lengthened; Transportation Board Orders Engineers to Prepare Contracts for Brooklyn Work. Cost Put At $633,000 Letter to Commission Urges That Company Be Compelled to Buy New Cars". The New York Times. February 17, 1925. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  17. "Board Receives Platform Bids For B.M.T. Lines. Six Companies Submit Prices for Extending Subway Stations". The Brooklyn Citizen. February 26, 1926. p. 5. Retrieved April 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com .
  18. "Brooklyn Wins Big Improvement Fund". Brooklyn Standard Union. March 18, 1926. p. 20. Retrieved April 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com .
  19. "Our Subway Stations To Be Brighter". Bay Ridge Home Reporter. July 10, 1959. p. 2. Retrieved April 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com .
  20. Minutes and Proceedings. New York City Transit Authority. 1967. pp. 379–380.
  21. Engineering News-record. McGraw-Hill. 1969. p. 63.
  22. Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority Relating to Matters Other Than Operation. New York City Transit Authority. 1969. pp. 280, 435, 487.
  23. Burks, Edward C. (February 21, 1970). "Subways' Colored Tile Gets Cover‐Up Job". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  24. "MTA Will Completely Close 30 Subway Stations For Months-Long "Revamp"". Gothamist. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  25. "MTAStations" (PDF). governor.ny.gov. Government of the State of New York. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  26. "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 2016. p. 54. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  27. "Three Brooklyn R Stations are First in Major Subway Station Modernization Project". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 22, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  28. Spivack, Caroline (January 16, 2017). "Shuttle scuttle: Riders demand extra buses during three subway stations' closure". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  29. "MTA will close these Brooklyn subway stops to facilitate upgrades". Curbed NY. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  30. "Prospect Av R Station to Close for Major Renovation". www.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  31. Barone, Vincent (November 2, 2017). "Prospect Avenue subway station reopens with modern amenities". am New York. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  32. Dougherty, Peter (2020). Tracks of the New York City Subway 2020 (16th ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 1056711733.
  33. "R Subway Timetable, Effective November 17, 2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  34. "W Subway Timetable, Effective November 17, 2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  35. "D Subway Timetable, Effective November 17, 2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  36. "N Subway Timetable, Effective October 21, 2019" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  37. Cox, Jeremiah (October 1, 2012). "The low ceiling of the extension at the northern end of the Bay Ridge-bound platform". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  38. Cox, Jeremiah (October 1, 2012). "The low ceiling of the extension at the northern end of the Bay Ridge-bound platform". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  39. Cox, Jeremiah (June 5, 2009). "Looking down the simple Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst-bound platform at Prospect Ave, by its innocuous advertising panels". subwaynut.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  40. Cashin, Patrick (November 2, 2017). "Reopening of the Prospect Av R Station". Flickr. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  41. Plitt, Amy (November 3, 2017). "Brooklyn's Prospect Ave subway station reopens after six-month revamp". Curbed NY. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  42. Mixson, Colin (November 3, 2017). "Back on tracks: Refurbished Prospect Avenue station reopens, delighting local straphangers". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  43. Cox, Jeremiah (October 1, 2012). "Approaching the turnstiles to leave the station from the Bay Ridge-bound platform, the waiting area doesn't allow the token clerk to provide a mindful eye anymore, the only token clerk is now on the Manhattan-bound platform". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  44. Hermann, Marc A. (November 2, 2017). "Prospect Av Station Reopens". Flickr. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  45. Cox, Jeremiah (June 5, 2009). "Looking through the fence to the area outside of fare control at a P in the station's trim at Prospect Avenue". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  46. Cox, Jeremiah (October 1, 2012). "The one streetstair from the Bay Ridge-bound platform". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  47. "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Park Slope" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  48. Cox, Jeremiah (June 29, 2009). "The other entrance the Manhattan-bound platform at Prospect Av, with the Expressway as the backdrop". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  49. Cox, Jeremiah (June 29, 2009). "Looking out from the Prospect Expressway's overpass at the single staircase down to the Bensonhurst & Bay Ridge side at Prospect Ave". subwaynut.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
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