5 Avenue-Bryant Park has a relatively deep island platform for the two tracked Flushing Line. It has platform walls of a golden trimline with little 5s along it for the station name. To access the platform it is all from a mezzanine area just above the platform, here at the eastern end there is a single ornate street stair along the SW corner of 5 Avenue and 42 Street in front of the New York Public Library with a full-time staffed token booth before the bank of turnstiles to this mezzanine with regular staircases down to the platform.
Towards the other western end the mezzanine splits one portion becomes a down hll ramp down where there is another staircases up from the platform and becomes the passageway that leads to the mezzanine of the IND Station beneath 6 Avenue at 42 Street-Bryant Park.This free transfer began on December 18, 1967 as a walking transfer via the street only during weekdays before a permanent passageway was later built. The portion of the mezzanine that curves up leads to some high turnstiles and a small fare control area out to two streetstairs with elaborate ironwork midblock along 42 Street on the northern side of Bryant Park between 5 and 6 Avenues.
Photos 1-2: August 15, 2008; 3-4: June 2, 2009; 5-6: July 24, 2009; 7-20: August 6, 2009; 21-26: June 11, 2011;
![5_71](5_71smhd.jpg)
Approaching the mezzanine from the tunnel beneath Bryant Park above the 5 Avenue section of the station with the first staircase down to the station
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The mezzanine ends at Ramps, one up to the midblock exit, one down to the connecting passageway
![5_73](5_73smhd.jpg)
The only entrance actually at 5 Avenue beneath the Central Public Library
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The two street stairs in middle of the block along Bryant Park
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Another view of the two street stairs with gold cornices along Bryant Park
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Looking directly down the two staircases in front of Bryant Park
![5_77](5_77smhd.jpg)
Passengers leave and enter the system at the main fare control area at 5 Avenue
![5_78](5_78smhd.jpg)
The one staircase up to 5 Avenue at the SW corner
![5_79](5_79smhd.jpg)
The mezzanine at 5 Avenue is quite wide for an IND Station, I don't know the stops original configuration
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A replica mosaic for the exits towards 5th Ave or 6th Ave
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Looking down the line of staircases to the 7 platform
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A 5 in the trimline of the platform
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Looking down the Queens-bound track on the narrow island platform
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A staircase up to the mezzanine and transfer
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Looking across one of the platform staircases and a sign for the two exits from the mezzanine
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Looking down the staircases of the mezzanine
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The ramp up to the midblock exit
![5_719](5_719smhd.jpg)
The mezzanine narrows for the passageway to 6 Avenue and transfer
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A view down the connecting passageway
Last Updated: 11 September, 2011
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