Wikipedia

First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line)

The First Avenue station is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of First Avenue and East 14th Street at the border of Stuyvesant Park, Stuyvesant Town, and the East Village in Manhattan,[3] it is served by the L train at all times.

 1 Avenue
 "L" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Northbound platform
Station statistics
AddressFirst Avenue & East 14th Street
New York, New York
BoroughManhattan
LocaleEast Village, Stuyvesant Park, Stuyvesant Town
Coordinates40°43′53″N 73°58′57″W / 40.731324°N 73.982577°W / 40.731324; -73.982577
DivisionB (BMT)[1]
Line   BMT Canarsie Line
Services   L all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M14A/M14D Select Bus Service, M15 (northbound), M15 Select Bus Service (northbound)
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedJune 30, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-06-30)
RebuiltJuly 1, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-07-01) to December 31, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-31)
AccessibleThis station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer		No
Traffic
20235,745,700[2] Increase 7.7%
Rank38 out of 423[2]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
Third Avenue
toward Eighth Avenue
 Bedford Avenue
toward Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway
Location
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line) is located in New York City Subway
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line)
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line) is located in New York City
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line)
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line) is located in New York
First Avenue station (BMT Canarsie Line)
Track layout

Legend
to Third Avenue
to Bedford Avenue
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times

History

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Contract 4 of the Dual Contracts, adopted on March 4, 1913 between New York City and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, included a subway route under 14th Street, to run to Canarsie in Brooklyn; this became the BMT's Canarsie Line.[4]: 203–219 [5]

Booth and Flinn was awarded the first contract for the line, namely a tunnel under the East River, in January 1916.[6] At the time, the Public Service Commission was completing plans for the rest of the line;[7] the commission began accepting bids for two parts of the line within Manhattan, sections 1 and 2. in April 1916.[8] The next month, Booth and Flinn won the contract for section 1, which was to cost $2.528 million (equivalent to $70.784 million in 2023).[9] By early 1919, the section of the line under 14th Street was about 20 percent completed.[10]

In 1922, the Charles H. Brown & Son Corporation was contracted to build out the Canarsie Line's stations in Manhattan, including the First Avenue station.[11] Track-laying in the tunnels between Sixth and Montrose Avenues started in the last week of October 1922.[12][13] The First Avenue station at Union Square opened on June 30, 1924, as part of the 14th Street–Eastern Line, which ran from Sixth Avenue under the East River and through Williamsburg to Montrose and Bushwick Avenues.[14][15]

In September 1983, this station was the site of the arrest of Michael Stewart, a notable case in the history of police brutality.[16]

The station originally had entrances only at its western end, on First Avenue. Its eastern entrances at Avenue A were built as part of the wide scope in the 2019–2020 rebuilding of the Canarsie Tubes that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy, and to improve service for people living in Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village, the East Village, and Alphabet City. Work on the entrances began in July 2017,[17][18] necessitating the relocation of bus stops at that intersection.[19] The entrances to the Brooklyn-bound platform were opened on November 4, 2019. The entrance to the Eighth Avenue-bound platform was expected to be opened by the end of 2019,[20][21] but the opening date was postponed to February 10, 2020. This was followed by the temporary closure of the entrances at First Avenue.[22] New elevators were built at the new eastern entrances[23][24] and were opened on August 6, 2020.[25] Substantial completion of the entrances occurred in November 2020.[26][27]

In June 2024,[28] the MTA installed low platform-edge fences at the First Avenue station and several others on the Canarsie Line to reduce the likelihood of passengers falling onto the tracks.[29] The barriers, spaced along the length of the platform, do not have sliding platform screen doors between them.[30]

Station layout

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Old entrance structure (since remodeled)
Ground Street level Exit/entrance
 
Elevators located:
  • Northwest corner of Avenue A and 14th Street
  • Southwest corner of Avenue A and 14th Street
Mezzanine Mezzanine Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines
 
Elevators located:
  • Northwest corner of Avenue A and 14th Street
  • Southwest corner of Avenue A and 14th Street
Platform level Side platform  
Westbound ←   toward Eighth Avenue (Third Avenue)
Eastbound →   toward Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway (Bedford Avenue) →
Side platform  

This underground station has two side platforms and two tracks. It is the easternmost Canarsie Line station in Manhattan. East of here, the line travels under the East River to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The platforms are columnless and have the standard BMT style trim-line and name tablets. The former contains "1" tablets in standard intervals, while the latter consists of "FIRST AVE" in white seriffed lettering.

Exits

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The station's western entrances are at the (railroad north) end of the station; from each platform, a single staircase goes up to a small mezzanine that contains a turnstile bank, token booth. Two street stairs to the Eighth Avenue-bound platform lead to the northeastern corner of First Avenue and 14th Street, while the ones to the Brooklyn-bound platform lead to the southeastern corner. The mezzanine on the Brooklyn-bound side had a florist shop outside fare control; the shop closed in 2019. There is no free transfer between directions at this station.[31]

The station's eastern entrances are at the railroad south end of the station; there are platform-level turnstile banks from each platform. Two street stairs to the Eighth Avenue-bound platform lead to the northwestern corner of Avenue A and 14th Street, while two more to the Brooklyn-bound platform lead to the southwestern corner. Each eastern entrance has an elevator between the platform and the street.

Art

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The station contains two sets of mosaic artwork by Katherine Bradford.[32][33] The eastern entrances include three large works collectively titled Queens of the Night, which depict figures in dancelike poses against a sapphire blue background. In addition, the First Avenue mezzanines contain two smaller works of flying superheroes, titled Superhero Responds.[33][34] The mosaics cover 400 square feet (37 m2) in total. When the artworks were commissioned, Bradford used the L train on her daily commute, passing through the First Avenue station.[32]

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  •  
    Name Tablet
  •  
    Trim-line Tablet
  •  
    Station wall

Nearby points of interest

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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. ^ "East Village, Manhattan Senior Pedestrian Crashes 2001-2006" (PDF). NYC.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "East River Tunnel Contract Awarded; Booth & Flinn, Who Will Do the Work for $6,639,023, to Use the Shield Method". The New York Times. January 14, 1916. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Public Service Commission Promises to Complete Contract Awards This Year". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 16, 1916. p. 40. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "E. D. Tube Trains Will Run in 1918". Times Union. April 8, 1916. p. 15. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Award Subway Contracts". Times Union. May 26, 1916. p. 6. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "When Will Dual Subway Be Finished?: Completed Work Cost 188,332,000--unfinished Contracts Amount to 20,000,000 Two Bodies Responsible for Construction Lack Mutual Confidence and Team-work". New-York Tribune. January 5, 1919. p. D10. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 575999620.
  11. ^ "Long Delayed E. D. Transit Relief Move Announced". The Standard Union. October 29, 1922. pp. 9, 11. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Laying of Tracks Starts New Action for Thru Tubes". The Chat. November 4, 1922. p. 18. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Long Delayed E. D. Transit Relief Move Announced". The Standard Union. October 29, 1922. pp. 9, [1]. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Celebrate Opening of Subway Link" (PDF). The New York Times. July 1, 1924. p. 23. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  15. ^ "Pushing Throng Christens Spur Of B. M. T. Tube: Hylan Runs the First Train From Brooklyn to 14th Street, Then Assails "Interests'" at Luncheon Yearns to Boss System Transit Commission Heads Remind Mayor Epithets Won't Solve Problems". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. July 1, 1924. p. 12. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1112998377.
  16. ^ Wilkerson, Isabel (November 25, 1985). "Jury Acquits All Transit Officers in 1983 Death of Michael Stewart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  17. ^ Hobbs, Allegra (July 11, 2017). "MTA Begins Work on New L Train Entrance at Avenue A as Bus Stops Relocate". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "Project Description, Budget and Scope". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 31, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  19. ^ Mollot, Sabina (July 7, 2017). "Bus stop shelters on East 14th Street removed, will be relocated". Town & Village. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  20. ^ "Press Release - NYC Transit - MTA Opens New Entrance at 1 Av L Station, Announces Early Completion of Street Restoration on 14th Street". MTA. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  21. ^ "Fast Forward - Q4 2019 Customer Commitments". MTA. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  22. ^ Hallum, Mark (February 10, 2020). "Avenue A subway entrance for L train users now open with elevators to follow in June". amNewYork. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  23. ^ "MTA - Press Release - NYC Transit - MTA Seeks Federal Funds to Increase Capacity on Canarsie L Line". mta.info. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  24. ^ "mta.info | Superstorm Sandy: One Year Later". web.mta.info. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  25. ^ MTA Press Conference - 08/06/2020. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
  26. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Nation-leading L Project Tunnel Rehabilitation With No Shutdown" (Press release). Albany, NY: New York State - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. April 26, 2020. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting November 2018" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. November 13, 2018. p. 92. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  28. ^ Platform Edge Safety Barrier Installation at 1st Ave L Train Station #shorts. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  29. ^ Nessen, Stephen (August 29, 2024). "MTA installs platform barriers at 10 subway stations to prevent fatal slips and shoves". Gothamist. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Roberts-Grmela, Julian; Seiwell, Emma (January 21, 2024). "MTA testing subway platform barriers in Manhattan, Brooklyn aimed at preventing track falls". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ a b c d e MTA neighborhood map
  32. ^ a b Schulz, Dana (September 24, 2021). "MTA unveils colorful new subway mosaics at Bedford and 1st Avenue L train stations". 6sqft. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  33. ^ a b Di Liscia, Valentina (September 23, 2021). "Katherine Bradford Mosaic Murals Make a Manhattan Subway Station Shine". Hyperallergic. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  34. ^ Hoeffner, Melissa Kravitz (September 23, 2021). "These gorgeous new mosaics are coming to L train stations". Time Out New York. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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