The Nostrand Avenue station is a local
station on the
IRT Eastern Parkway Line
The Eastern Parkway Line is one of the lines of the A Division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn south along Flatbush Avenue and east along Eastern Parkway to Crown Heights. After passing Utica Avenue, the line ri ...
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 ...
. Located at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Eastern Parkway in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...
, it is served by the
3 train at all times except late nights, when the
4 train takes over service. There is also limited rush hour
2 and
5 service here.
The station opened on August 23, 1920, as part of an extension of the IRT Eastern Parkway Line by the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT w ...
. The station's platforms were extended in the 1964—1965 fiscal year so they could accommodate ten-car trains.
History
Background
Nostrand Avenue station was constructed as part of the Eastern Parkway Line. The line's section to Atlantic Avenue was part of Contract 2 of the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT w ...
(IRT)'s plan to construct an extension of the original subway, Contract 1. Contract 2 extended the original line from City Hall in Manhattan to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. The Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners approved the route on September 27, 1900, and the contract was signed on September 11, 1902. Construction commenced on Contract 2 on March 4, 1903.
The first section opened on January 9, 1908, extending the subway from Bowling Green to Borough Hall.
On April 28, 1908, the IRT formally applied with the
New York Public Service Commission
The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Ser ...
for permission to open the final section of the Contract 2 line from
Borough Hall to
Atlantic Avenue near the
Flatbush Avenue LIRR station. The application was approved, and the IRT extension opened on May 1, 1908.
On March 19, 1913, New York City, the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...
, and the IRT reached an agreement, known as the
Dual Contracts
The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Ra ...
, to drastically expand subway service across New York City. As part of Contract 3 of the agreement, between New York City and the IRT, the
original subway opened by the IRT in 1904 to
City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, and extended to
Atlantic Avenue in 1908,
was to be extended eastward into Brooklyn.
The line was to be extended along
Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn. It runs from the Manhattan Bridge south-southeastward to Jamaica Bay, where it joins the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to the Ro ...
and
Eastern Parkway
Eastern Parkway is a major road that runs through a portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it was the world's first parkway, having been built between 1870 and 1874. At the time of ...
to Buffalo Street as a four-track subway line, and then along East 98th Street and Livonia Avenue to New Lots Avenue as an elevated two-track line, with provisions for the addition of a third track. In addition, a two-track branch line along Nostrand Avenue branching off east of the
Franklin Avenue
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral div ...
station was to be constructed. The underground portion of the line became known as the Eastern Parkway Line, or Route 12, while the elevated portion became known as the New Lots Line.
Construction and opening
The IRT Eastern Parkway Line was built as part of Route 12 from 1915 to 1918.
On August 23, 1920, the Eastern Parkway Line was extended from Atlantic Avenue to
Crown Heights–Utica Avenue, with the Nostrand Avenue station opening at this time. The new trains would be served by trains from Seventh Avenue.
Later years
During the 1964–1965 fiscal year, the platforms at Kingston Avenue, along with those at four other stations on the Eastern Parkway Line, were lengthened to to accommodate a ten-car train of IRT cars.
Station layout
![Nostrand Avenue-Eastern Parkway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Nostrand_Avenue-Eastern_Parkway.jpg)
This underground station has two levels. The upper level serves
New Lots Avenue-bound trains while the lower level serves Manhattan-bound trains. From north to south, each level has an express track, a local track, and one
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 ...
.
The 3 train stops here at all times except late nights, when the 4 train takes over service. There is also limited rush hour 2 and 5 train service here. During all times except late nights, 4 trains run on the express track to the north of the local track on each level to bypass the station.
Both platforms have their original
Dual Contracts
The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Ra ...
-era IRT trim line and name tablets. The trim line has a tan-yellow center, brown border, and a spec of blue in-between. "N" tablets on a blue background and brown border run along the trim line at regular intervals. The name tablets read "NOSTRAND AVE." in
Times New Roman
Times New Roman is a serif typeface. It was commissioned by the British newspaper ''The Times'' in 1931 and conceived by Stanley Morison, the artistic adviser to the British branch of the printing equipment company Monotype, in collaboration wit ...
font in gold lettering on a blue and brown background, a gold center, and brown border.
The platform extensions at either end have signs reading "NOSTRAND AVE" in white sans serif lettering on a brown border. The center of the platforms has green I-beam columns at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering.
West of this station (
railroad north), the perpendicular
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 ...
merges with the IRT Eastern Parkway Line at the Rogers Avenue Junction.
President Street–Medgar Evers College on that line is two blocks to the south.
Exits
The upper level has one
fare control
In rail transport, the paid area is a dedicated "inner" zone in a railway station or metro station, accessible via turnstiles or other barriers, to get into which, visitors or passengers require a valid ticket, checked smartcard or a pass. A sys ...
at the center with two staircases going down to the lower level. It has a
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 ...
bank, token booth, and two staircases going up to the south side mall of Eastern Parkway (between the main and service roads) and Nostrand Avenue. One staircase goes to the southeast corner while the other goes to the southwest corner.
References
External links
*
Brooklyn IRT: Map 2, Brooklyn IRT Dual Contracts(includes current and former track configurations, and provisions for future connections)
* Station Reporter â€
{{NYCS stations navbox by line, eastern=yes
IRT Eastern Parkway Line stations
New York City Subway stations in Brooklyn
New York City Subway stations located underground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1920
1920 establishments in New York City
Crown Heights, Brooklyn