72 Street is an express station with two extremely narrow island platforms considering its present day passenger ridership. The stops original entrance is in a small headhouse at street level in the triangle created by Broadway, Columbus Avenue and 72 Street, with entry doors at either end connected down to each platform by three narrow staircases where two passengers can barely pass each other. The headhouse was terrifyingly crowded with no free crossover; each with direction having its own separate banks of turnstiles and token booths because this was the only way to fit enough turnstiles to serve the stations many riders. This was the situation until a new and bigger headhouse opened in 2002 in Verdi Square across 72 Street from the old one. It has entrances (to turnstiles) at both ends providing access to 73 Street and 72 Street and two staircases and an elevator towards the northern end of the downtown platform and at the northern end of the uptown, when the platforms were extended they were offset each other by a small amount, the elevators landing causes the uptown platform's tracks to be offset a bit as well with the express tracks platform ending slightly farther south than the local platform, (at the southern end of the station a refuse room has been provided). At this point the original headhouse was closed refurbished and renovated to also provide a free crossover with a bank of turnstiles added on its 72 Street end and High Turnstiles at the 71 Street end. The station is still crowded but access is no longer a terrifying experience (as I remember from my days under 12). The platforms have a line of red columns, many round, although towards the extension portions of the station their locations are inconsistent, and a decorative trimline of brown greens and reds along the tiled local track walls along with decoratively tiled carpets along these walls as well.

Arts For Transit at 72 Street Laced Canopy, Mosaic Glass in cieling of the new headhouse By Robert Hickman

Page 1|Page 2|Page 3
(72n11) A little door in the track wall 9 October, 2003	(72n12) An original decorative wall carpet 27 December, 2008	(72n13) The unusual station trimline 27 December, 2008	(72n14) A R142 2 train stops at 72 St 27 December, 2008
(72n15) Looking across to the uptown platform 27 December, 2008	(72n16) One of the 3 very narrow original exit stairs 27 December, 2008	(72n17) A 1 train stops at 72 Street 8 June, 2011	(72n18) Looking down the platform at 72 Street 8 June, 2011
(72n19) Looking across to the 3 narrow staircases up from the uptown platform to the original station house 8 June, 2011	(72n110) Approaching the station house from the Downtown platform 8 June, 2011	(72n111) The three high Turnstiles out to the 71 Street end of the station house 8 June, 2011	(72n112) An old nameless terra-cotta restored sign above a room in the original station house 8 June, 2011
(72n113) Restored (and new looking) faux terra-cotta reliefs in the ceiling of the original station house 8 June, 2011	(72n114) The restored skylights and vintage looking light fixtures in the historic station house 8 June, 2011	(72n115) The now unstaffed bank of turnstiles out to the north end and 72 Street 8 June, 2011	(72n116) More of the restored decorative portions of the historic station house 8 June, 2011
(72n117) Decorative gold vintage signage on the glass doors to 71st Street 8 June, 2011	(72n118) The high turnstiles from 71 Street 8 June, 2011	(72n119) One of the sides and historic entrances to 72 Street, with old wooden doors 8 June, 2011	(72n120) Original 72 tiling in the top of the historic headhouse 8 June, 2011
Page 1|Page 2|Page 3

Last Updated: 24 June, 2011
This website is not affiliated with MTA New York City Transit, their official website is here
All photos are by Jeremiah Cox
This Website is maintained and copyright © 2003-2013, Jeremiah Cox. Please do not remote link or copy images from this website without permission. Contact the Webmaster

Old Station Banner