National Register of Historic Places

West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT)

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
March 29, 2005
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
05000235

About this property

The 28th Street station is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 28th Street and Seventh Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times and by the 2 train during late nights. The station was built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the Dual Contracts with New York City, and opened on July 1, 1918. The station had its platforms extended in the 1960s. The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction, rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in Brooklyn. As part of Contract 4, the IRT agreed to build a branch of the original subway line south down Seventh Avenue, Varick Street, and West Broadway to serve the West Side of Manhattan. The construction of this line, in conjunction with the construction of the Lexington Avenue Line, would change the operations of the IRT system. Instead of having trains go via Broadway, turning onto 42nd Street, before finally turning onto Park Avenue, there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle. The system would be changed from looking like a "Z" system on a map to an "H" system. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway. In order for the line to continue down Varick Street and West Broadway, these streets needed to be widened, and two new streets were built, the Seventh Avenue Extension and the Varick Street Extension. It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Lower West Side, and to neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Greenwich Village. 28th Street opened as part of an extension of the line from 34th Street–Penn Station to South Ferry on July 1, 1918. Initially, the station was served by a shuttle running from Times Square to South Ferry. The new "H" system was implemented on August 1, 1918, joining the two halves of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and sending all West Side trains south from Times Square. An immediate result of the switch was the need to transfer using the 42nd Street Shuttle in order to retrace the original layout. The completion of the "H" system doubled the capacity of the IRT system.

Location

New York, New York County, New York
40.74676, -73.99373

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTUREARTENGINEERINGCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rustin, Bayard, Residence
Industrial
0.2 mi
Lithuanian Alliance of America
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0.3 mi
Hotel Chelsea
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0.3 mi
Gilsey Hotel
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0.3 mi
Grand Hotel
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT) listed on the National Register?

West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 29, 2005.

What type of historic resource is West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT)?

West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT) is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT)?

The period of significance for West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT) is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT)?

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