First Avenue (L) - The SubwayNut

First Avenue is a typical 14th Street-Canarsie Line local stop. It has two side platforms decorated with Blue name tablets with a complex squares trimline and little 1s in the trim. The side platforms are narrow enough that there are no support beams on them, the only ones are between the line's two tracks.

The station's original exit is accessed from a single staircase at the extreme western ends of the platforms. This staircase leads up to a small mezzanine area that is directly above each platform (There are separate mezzanines for trains in each direction, no free crossover/under). The 8 Avenue-bound platform has a token booth. The Brooklyn-bound mezzanine has a florist outside of fare control but the token booth was removed around 2011. Each mezzanine has two exit staircases. From the 8 Avenue-bound platform, these lead up both to the NW corner of 1 Avenue and 14 Street, caddy-corner to each other on the sidewalk, leading under the inner roadway that serves as a driveway for Stuyvesant Town Apartments. From the Brooklyn-bound platform, there is a streetstair at the SE corner of 14 Street and a second one just south of this staircase, along the east side of First Avenue.

Under the Superstorm Sandy Canarsie Line reconstruction project, the station received a new entrance to Avenue A at the eastern end of each platform. No free crossover or under were built with simply a new bank of on platform turnstiles on each platform. The entrance to the Brooklyn-bound platform has two narrower streetstairs up to the southside of 14 Street, plus an elevator just west of Avenue A. These staircases opened in November 2019. The entrances to the Manhattan-bound platform are located on a pedestrian island between the driveway that surrounds Stuyvesant Town and the main lanes of 14 Street, by a M14 SBS bus stop, also just west of Avenue A. Here there is a single, winder street stair, followed by the elevator, and a final smaller staircase. The staircase and turnstiles opened in February 2020. Both elevators opened on August 6, 2020.
Photo 1-8: April 21, 2007; 9-16: December 22, 2008; 17-57: September 24, 2023;

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Looking down the platform at First Avenue after a R143 L train has stopped in the station and passengers make their way to the single exit.

A view the other way down the platform at First Avenue and the simple two tracks narrow side platforms (with no obstructing pillars on the platform) station.

A First Avenue name tablet.

A view down the long and empty narrow platform at First Avenue, and a sign saying No Exit, Exit at other end.

A close up of stations 1s in the trim that is a typical BMT station using various shades of blues, greens and yellows. It is a sample of what I consider more pretty underground stations to come as the L train meanders its way through Northern Brooklyn

A close up of a 1 in the trim at 1st Avenue.

Another view down the empty Brooklyn-bound side platform at 1st Avenue. The police booth (the train is about to go under the east river) is visible in this picture.

A blurry view of a Brooklyn-bound R143 L train entering 1st Avenue.

A street level entrance to the 1st Avenue subway station.

A small seating area (in view of the token booth) on the Brooklyn-bund mezzanine within fare control at 1st Avenue.

An old black text on white sign for Beth Israel Medical Center at 1st Avenue

Looking across the two track station at 1 Avenue to a very crowded 8 Avenue-bound platform.

A To Street Mosaic on the wall at 1st Avenue.

A portion of the Brooklyn-bound platform wall at 1st Avenue has been retiled. The trim in this portion of the station has a much more simple (large tiles) new age look to it.

A different name tablet at First Avenue.

Passengers board an R143/R160 L train at First Avenue.

Passengers get off a Union Square-bound L train

A modified (noticed the different new mosaic for the new arrow) To Street mosaic with exits now in both directions on the platform because of the new wheelchair accessible Avenue A exit

A To Street sign under a 1 Vickers's era mosaic

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