Grand Army Plaza station

 Grand Army Plaza
 "2" train​​"3" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Wings for the IRT: The Irresistible Romance of Travel artwork on the mezzanine level of the station
Station statistics
AddressPlaza Street West, St. Johns Place, & Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, New York
BoroughBrooklyn
LocalePark Slope
Coordinates40°40′29″N 73°58′14″W / 40.674584°N 73.970518°W / 40.674584; -73.970518
DivisionA (IRT)[1]
LineIRT Eastern Parkway Line
Services   2 all times (all times)
​   3 all except late nights (all except late nights)
​   4 late nights, and limited rush hour service (late nights, and limited rush hour service)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: B41, B67, B69
StructureUnderground
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedOctober 10, 1920; 104 years ago (1920-10-10)
Opposite-
direction
transfer		Yes
Former/other namesGrand Army Plaza – Prospect Park
Traffic
20231,653,318[2] Increase 18.9%
Rank195 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Bergen Street
2 all times ​3 all except late nights ​4 late nights, and limited rush hour service
via 135th Street
Local 		Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum
2 all times ​3 all except late nights ​4 late nights, and limited rush hour service
via Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College
"5" train does not stop here
Location
Grand Army Plaza station is located in New York City Subway
Grand Army Plaza station
Grand Army Plaza station is located in New York City
Grand Army Plaza station
Grand Army Plaza station is located in New York
Grand Army Plaza station
Track layout

Legend
to Bergen Street
to Eastern Parkway
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times except late nights Stops all times except late nights
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only

The Grand Army Plaza station is a local station on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line of the New York City Subway. It is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, underneath Flatbush Avenue at its intersection with Plaza Street West and St. Johns Place, on the northwest side of Grand Army Plaza. It is served by the 2 train at all times, the 3 train at all times except late nights, and the 4 train during late nights.

History

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Construction and opening

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After the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s original line opened as far as Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the New York City government began planning new lines. As early as 1903, William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission, had proposed constructing a four-track extension of the IRT line under Flatbush Avenue, running southeast from Atlantic Avenue to Grand Army Plaza. From there, two branches would have extended south to Flatbush and east to Brownsville. This plan did not progress for a decade due to various disputes over the original subway.[3]: 150  In 1913, New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), and the IRT reached an agreement, known as the Dual Contracts, to drastically expand subway service across New York City.[4] As part of the Dual Contracts, two lines under Flatbush Avenue, one each operated by the BRT and IRT, were approved.[5]: 203–219 [4] The IRT was authorized to extend its four-track Brooklyn line under Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway,[4] while the BRT would construct a parallel two-track extension of the Brighton Line,[6]

Groundbreaking for the IRT extension took place on May 23, 1914.[7][8] The Prospect Park Plaza station, at Grand Army Plaza was to be one of the stations on the IRT extension.[8] The Grand Army Plaza station was built as part of section 1A of the Eastern Parkway Line, stretching between the plaza and St. Mark's Avenue. The Cranford Company received a construction contract for this section in March 1914 after making a low bid of about $2.2 million.[8][9] The project involved digging under Grand Army Plaza, near the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch.[10]

Service on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line had been extended from Atlantic Avenue to Utica Avenue in August 1920,[11] but the Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, and Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum stations were not ready to open with the rest of the line.[12][13] The contractor responsible for completing the three stations had gone bankrupt in the middle of the project.[13] The stations opened on October 9, 1920.[12][14] The BMT Brighton Line was already in use at the time but used trackage that is now part of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle; the opening of the subway line beneath Flatbush Avenue provided a more direct route to Downtown Brooklyn and, eventually, Manhattan.[12][14] The station was originally known as the Prospect Park Plaza station, but it was renamed in 1926 when the plaza itself was rededicated as Grand Army Plaza.[15]

Later years

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The construction of the station and tunnels resulted in the removal of Frederic W. Darlington's 1897 Electric Fountain[16] from the center of Grand Army Plaza, which was dug up for the cut-and-cover construction and replaced with a grass oval. Planning for a new fountain, known as the Bailey Fountain, began in 1928,[17] and it was completed in 1932.[18]

During the 1964–1965 fiscal year, the platforms at Grand Army Plaza, along with those at four other stations on the Eastern Parkway Line, were lengthened to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate a ten-car train of 51 foot (16 m) IRT cars.[19][20] The work was performed by the Arthur A. Johnson Corporation.[20] In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of the funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations,[21][22] including Grand Army Plaza.[23] The renovation was completed in 1996.[24]

Station layout

[edit]
See also: New York City Subway chaining
Ground Street level Exit/entrance
Mezzanine Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
Platform level Northbound local ← "2" train toward Wakefield–241st Street (Bergen Street)
← "3" train toward Harlem–148th Street (Bergen Street)
← "4" train toward Woodlawn late nights (Bergen Street)
Island platform
Southbound local → "2" train toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College (Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum) →
→ "3" train ("4" train late nights) toward New Lots Avenue (Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum) →
Express/Brighton Tracks Northbound express ← "4" train"5" train do not stop here
Brighton Line ← "B" train"Q" train do not stop here
→ "B" train"Q" train do not stop here →
Southbound express → "4" train"5" train do not stop here →
A view of the station's platform

At platform level, Grand Army Plaza has a simple island platform layout with two tracks.[25] The 2 train stops here at all times,[26] while the 3 train stops here at all times except late nights.[27] The 4 train serves the station only during late nights.[28] The next station to the north is Bergen Street, while the next station to the south is Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum.[29]

Southbound (eastern Brooklyn-bound) trains use track E1 while northbound (Manhattan-bound) trains use track E4. Underneath the platform are four tracks, the center two, A4 (north) and A3 (south) carrying the BMT Brighton Line with tracks E2 and E3 carrying southbound and northbound express IRT Eastern Parkway Line trains on either side of the Brighton Line tracks, respectively.[30][31] These track designations are only displayed on small emergency placards on either end of the platform for use by train and emergency personnel; they are not used in everyday conversation.

The only mosaic in the Grand Army Plaza station is a small "P".[15][25] A permanent art installation in the station's entrances and mezzanine entitled Wings for the IRT: The Irresistible Romance of Travel was created in 1995 by Jane Greengold, who used the station regularly when she lived in Park Slope.[32] The bronze and terra cotta pieces of art are modeled on the original Interborough Rapid Transit Company logo, and alludes to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in the plaza above with its Winged Victories.[32][33] The MTA's Arts for Transit program held an opening ceremony for the artwork on June 19, 1997.[34]

Exits

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The station has four entrances and exits, all of which are staircases:[35]

  • 2 on the northeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street East
  • 1 on the southwest corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street West
  • 1 on the southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street West

References

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  1. ^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Hood, Clifton (1978). "The Impact of the IRT in New York City" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  4. ^ a b c "Subway Contracts Solemnly Signed; Cheers at the Ceremonial Function When McCall Gets Willcox to Attest" (PDF). The New York Times. March 20, 1913. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  5. ^ Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  6. ^ "Transit Relief Big Stimulus". The Brooklyn Citizen. April 13, 1913. pp. 13, 14. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Subway Festival Held in Brooklyn; McCall Turns the First Sod for Interborough Extension from Atlantic Ave". The New York Times. May 24, 1914. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Line Begun Today Taps Big Section". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 23, 1914. p. 23. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lines Tap Big Section". The Chat. May 30, 1914. p. 32. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Subway Digging at Prospect Park Plaza". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 1, 1914. p. 19. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "More Interborough Service for Brooklyn 2 New Lines". pudl.princeton.edu. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. August 23, 1920. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "Subway Stations Opened: Last Three in Eastern Parkway Branch of I.R.T. Put Into Service" (PDF). New York Times. October 11, 1920. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "3 New Subway Stations Open". Times Union. October 10, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "IRT Brooklyn Line Opened 90 Years Ago". New York Division Bulletin. 53 (9). New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. September 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2016 – via Issuu.
  15. ^ a b Pollak, Michael (May 8, 2011). "Answers to Questions About New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Our Newest Electric Toy". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. August 8, 1897. p. 13.
  17. ^ "Beautify Boro, Pleads Bailey, in $100,000 Gift". The Brooklyn Citizen. April 28, 1928. p. 2. Retrieved June 24, 2024; "$100,000 Fountain Gift to Brooklyn; Frank Bailey Makes Offer in Appreciation of Opportunities Borough Gave Him". The New York Times. April 27, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  18. ^ New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Grand Army Plaza, accessed April 20, 2007
  19. ^ Annual Report 1964–1965. New York City Transit Authority. 1965.
  20. ^ a b New York City Transit Authority (1964). Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority Relating to Matters Other Than Operation. The Authority. p. 86.
  21. ^ Benenson, Joel (April 1, 1993). "Albany deal to save the $1.25 fare". New York Daily News. p. 1059. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Faison, Seth (April 3, 1993). "$9.6 Billion Package for M.T.A. Is Crucial to its Rebuilding Plans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Stop the Fussing". Newsday. May 28, 1993. p. 56. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  24. ^ Hays, Constance L. (December 29, 1996). "Notes from the Underground: Station Renovations Continue. Watch Your Step on the Tiles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Grand Army Plaza (Brooklyn IRT) NYCSubway Retrieved July 5, 2009
  26. ^ "2 Subway Timetable, Effective June 26, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "3 Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  28. ^ "4 Subway Timetable, Effective December 4, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  30. ^ Brooklyn IRT: Grand Army Plaza
  31. ^ Brooklyn IRT: Map 2, Brooklyn IRT Dual Contracts
  32. ^ a b "Wings for the IRT: The Irresistible Romance of Travel". MTA. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  33. ^ Schneider, Daniel B. (April 6, 1997). "F.Y.I." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  34. ^ MTA Headquarters Press Release, MTA Installs Art In Grand Army Plaza Station[permanent dead link], June 19, 1997, accessed April 20, 2007
  35. ^ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Park Slope/Prospect Park" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
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