Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station
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The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station (announced as Brooklyn College–Flatbush Avenue station on trains) is the southern
terminal station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...
on the
IRT Nostrand Avenue Line The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the A Division of the New York City Subway running under Nostrand Avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is served by the train at all times and is also served by the trai ...
of the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
. It is located at the intersection of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues in Flatbush, Brooklyn, locally called "The Junction". The station is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 train on weekdays. It is also the closest subway station to
Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...
and
Midwood High School Midwood High School is a high school located at 2839 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, administered by the New York City Department of Education. It has an enrollment of 3,938 students. Its H-shaped building, with six Ionic order, Ionic co ...
. The Flatbush Avenue station was built along with the Nostrand Avenue Line as part of the Dual Contracts. The station opened on August 23, 1920, along with the rest of the line. Various proposals to extend the line past Flatbush Avenue were considered throughout the 20th century, but none were carried out. The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station contains two
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s and two tracks; the platforms are connected to each other at the southern end. It is the only such terminal station in the subway system, creating an inefficient design in which passengers must know which track a train is departing from before going to the platform. The platforms contain exits to the intersection of Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues, with a secondary exit to Avenue H. The station contains an elevator, which makes it compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...
.


History

The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in Brooklyn. As part of Contract 4, the IRT agreed to build a subway line along Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. The construction of the subway along Nostrand Avenue spurred real estate development in the surrounding areas. The Nostrand Avenue Line opened on August 23, 1920, and the Flatbush Avenue station opened as its terminal. This underground station is the only "dead-end" terminal station in the subway system that does not have an
island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
. It was built with two
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s and two tracks to allow for a planned but ultimately unbuilt extension of the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line. The extension, proposed in 1929, would have brought the line south towards Voorhies Avenue in
Sheepshead Bay Sheepshead, Sheephead, or Sheep's Head, may refer to: Fish * ''Archosargus probatocephalus'', a medium-sized saltwater fish of the Atlantic Ocean * Freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', a medium-sized freshwater fish of North and Central Am ...
. These plans were revisited in 1939, 1946, 1951, and 1968. On October 5, 1931, a new staircase at the station to the southeastern corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue was opened for service. In 1968, as part of the
Program for Action Metropolitan Transportation: A Program for Action, also known as simply the Program for Action, the Grand Design, or the New Routes Program, was a proposal in the mid-1960s for a large expansion of mass transit in New York City, created under t ...
, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) gave consideration to extending the
IRT Nostrand Avenue Line The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the A Division of the New York City Subway running under Nostrand Avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is served by the train at all times and is also served by the trai ...
approximately beyond the station to provide room for turnaround facilities. This would eliminate the operational restrictions caused by the current layout. However, a ballot measure for funding much of the program was voted down in 1971, delaying this plan indefinitely. This plan was again considered in 1989. In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system. Starting in December 1993, the station was renovated at the cost of $6 million. An elevator was installed, and the 1920s-style "Flatbush Avenue" name tablets, containing red backgrounds with blue borders, were restored on both platforms. The elevator was closed from July to December 2021. The top and bottom of the platform walls contain a blue solid line with a colorful border trim. This results in a tiling scheme with blue tiles that create a wavy pattern that comes farther up whenever there is a "F" tile â€” which stands for Flatbush â€” in the station's trimline. In December 2020, the MTA announced that it would commission artwork in honor of subway operator Garrett Goble, who died on March 27, 2020, during an
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
at the
Central Park North–110th Street station The Central Park North–110th Street station (signed as 110 St–Central Park North on overhead signs) is a station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 110th Street and Lenox Avenue at the s ...
. The Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station was selected because Goble had used it often while growing up. The artwork was ultimately unveiled and installed on May 24, 2021.


Station layout

This station has two
side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s, which are connected at the south end just past the
bumper block A buffer stop, bumper, bumping post, bumper block or stopblock (US), is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a physical section of track. The design of the buffer stop is dependent, in part, on the kind of couplings ...
s, forming a "U" shape. The presence of the connection at the southern end mitigates what is otherwise an inefficient terminal design, in which passengers must know which track a train is departing from before going to one of the two platforms. The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line tunnels continue beyond the bumper blocks at Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue. They extend for several hundred feet to Avenue H, but no tracks were ever laid in these tunnels. Up until about 2006, passengers could see the cemented-over gratings extending down Nostrand Avenue. When a new building went up, the grates were removed. Prior to the construction of the exit at the south end of the station, there was only a temporary wooden ramp connecting the platforms and the tunnels were actually visible to passengers. On weekdays when 5 trains serve the station, all Manhattan-bound 2 trains depart from Track 3, and all Manhattan-bound 5 trains depart from Track 2. When the 5 does not serve the station, 2 trains depart from both tracks. The station platforms have several doors for various non-public uses, including crew quarters. A 2 train crew office is on the Track 3 side, and a 5 train crew office is on the Track 2 side. There are public restrooms along Track 3 just within the station's main entrance. The columns along the platforms are painted light-blue. The 1996 cast bronze relief artwork at this station is called ''Flatbush Floogies'' by Muriel Castanis.


Exits

At the U-shaped end, there is an unstaffed exit containing two
HEET turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...
s and one exit-only turnstile. The single staircase here goes up to the west side of Nostrand Avenue north of Avenue H. The station's main entrance is on the Track 3 (eastern) platform. Two street stairs from each eastern corner of Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues lead to where the full-time token booth and two separate banks of
turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...
s are. The single elevator from street level down to fare control is at the southeast corner. There is another entrance on the platform of Track 2 (west side). This entrance has two sets of street stairs adjacent to each other at the northwest corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue. The token booth and turnstile bank are open weekdays only. A single HEET turnstile provides access to this entrance other times.


References


External links

* * nycsubway.org â€
Flatbush Floogies Artwork by Muriel Castanis (1996)
* MTA's Arts For Transit â€

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College station IRT Nostrand Avenue Line stations New York City Subway stations in Brooklyn New York City Subway terminals Railway stations in the United States opened in 1920 1920 establishments in New York City Flatbush, Brooklyn New York City Subway stations located underground New York City Subway stations at university and college campuses