137th Street–City College (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

137th Street–City College
New York City Subway rapid transit station

South-bound platform
Station statistics
Address West 137th Street & Broadway
New York, NY 10031
Borough Manhattan
Locale Harlem, Hamilton Heights
Coordinates 40°49′16″N 73°57′14″W / 40.821°N 73.954°W / 40.821; -73.954Coordinates: 40°49′16″N 73°57′14″W / 40.821°N 73.954°W / 40.821; -73.954
Division A (IRT)
Line IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services       1  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: M4, M5
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 3 (2 in regular service)
Other information
Opened October 27, 1904 (1904-10-27)[1]
Wireless service [2]
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 4,646,578[3] Increase 2.3%
Rank 104 out of 422
Station succession
Next north 145th Street: 1 
Next south 125th Street: 1 

137th Street–City College is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 137th Street and Broadway in Harlem and Hamilton Heights, Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times. The station serves the nearby City College of New York and Riverbank State Park.

Street stair

History

Track layout
Legend
to 145 St
to 137 St Yd
to 125 St

Operation of the first subway began on October 27, 1904, with the opening of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch including the 137th Street station.[4][5][1]

In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet to allow full ten-car express trains to platform. Previously the stations could only platform six car local trains. The platform extensions were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the stations from 103rd Street to Dyckman Street had their platform extensions opened, with the exception of the 125th Street, which had its opened on June 11, 1948.[6][7]

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[8] As a result, one of future U.S. president Barack Obama's first community organizing efforts after being graduating from Columbia University was in conjunction with drawing attention to the poor condition of the station. In 1984 or 1985, Obama (who was working for the New York Public Interest Research Group) was among the leaders of May Day efforts to bring attention to the subway system, particularly the station serving CCNY. Obama traveled to stations to get people to sign letters addressed to local officials and the MTA. Obama was photographed holding a sign saying "May-Day! May-Day!! Sinking Subway System!"[9][10]

In this station on January 2, 2007, film student Cameron Hollopeter suffered a seizure and fell off the platform onto the tracks. Wesley Autrey saved his life as a train was approaching.[11] Autrey was given numerous awards and prizes,[12][13] and his two daughters were given a scholarship.[14]

Station layout

G Street Level Exit/Entrance
P
Platform level		 Side platform, doors will open on the right
Northbound local ← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (145th Street)
← alighting passengers only (some rush-hour trips)
Peak-direction express → No regular service
Southbound local → toward South Ferry (125th Street) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Mosaic by Heins & LaFarge
Cartouche with three faces

This station has three tracks and two side platforms. In the past, it was sometimes used as a terminal station. There are switches north of the station that allow northbound trains to enter the underground 137th Street Yard, then return to the other side of the station for the next trip south. The center express track that passes through the station is currently unused in revenue service.

Just south of the station, the tracks emerge from underground onto the Manhattan Valley Viaduct. The line is elevated at 125th Street, and then underground once again at 116th Street–Columbia University, allowing trains to maintain a relatively level grade while passing through highly uneven terrain.

Prior to the termination of 9 on May 27, 2005, this station was the northernmost common stop of the 1/9 skip-stop service. On northbound trains, this was the first point where conductors would announce whether the train would run "skip-stop" or not. Passengers on a 1 train traveling to a station served by the 9 train (or vice versa) could change here for the other train.

The mosaics are in pink and black. The ceramic cartouche is also in pink and shows a three-faced figure. The three faces represent "Respice", "Adspice", and "Prospice", and are an emblem of the nearby City College.

Exits/entrances

Each platform has two exits/entrances:[15]

In popular culture

The station was often shown on the TV drama New Amsterdam, though the inside shots were taken at the Grand Central Shuttle station.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 New York Times, Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It, October 28, 1904
  2. ↑ "NYC Subway Wireless – Active Stations". Transit Wireless Wifi. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  3. ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  4. ↑ James Blaine Walker, Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917, published 1918, pp. 162-191
  5. ↑ "New York City subway opens - Oct 27, 1904". HISTORY.com. October 27, 1904. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ Report for the three and one-half years ending June 30, 1949. New York City Board of Transportation. 1949.
  7. ↑ "MORE LONG PLATFORMS; Five Subway Stations on IRT to Accommodate 10-Car Trains". The New York Times. July 10, 1948. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ Gargan, Edward A. (June 11, 1981). "AGENCY LISTS ITS 69 MOST DETERIORATED SUBWAY STATIONS". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ Fink, Jason (November 9, 2008). "Obama stood out, even during brief 1985 NYPIRG job". Newsday. Newsday.
  10. ↑ Harpaz, Beth J. (November 22, 2009). "Obama's 'lost years' in Manhattan – Hawaii's Newspaper". The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ Buckley, Cara (January 3, 2007). "Man Is Rescued by Stranger on Subway Tracks". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Mayor Bloomberg Presents Award to Subway Hero Wesley Autrey". nyc.gov. January 4, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  13. ↑ "City Honors Awesome Subway Hero Wesley Autrey". Gothamist. January 5, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ Coultan, Mark (January 6, 2007). "NY toasts Subway Superman after death-defying rescue". Melbourne: The Age. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  15. ↑ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Harlem/Hamilton Heights" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  16. ↑ TWoP Forums, New Amsterdam, March 16, 2008

Further reading

External links

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