IND Greenwich Substation 235

 electrical substation, Art Deco (architecture), 1932_construction

3-story Art-Deco electrical substation completed in 1932 for the city's IND subway line. The electrical substation converted high voltage alternating current to lower voltage direct current for use in the transit system. It is clad in brick and limestone and features attractive geometric patterns throughout and on the large aluminum loading bay doors. The southwestern corner has been clipped from the typical rectangular plan to accommodate the intersection of Greenwich Avenue.

The front facade, which forms a point where the two streets meet, is basically symmetrical. The front and angled corner facades are flanked by limestone piers set off in low relief and carried vertically through the cornice line where they are crowned by square stone turrets. A geometric limestone frieze vertically crosses the center of each facade and links to the stone coping of the brick parapet wall. The bulk of the exterior is clad with variably brown-toned bricks. Striations in a lighter-colored brick and recessed vertical mortar joint work to suggest a diamond pattern.

The wider facade facing West 13th Street is dominated by a monumental portal that acts as a loading bay. The doors are clad in embossed aluminum, decorated with faint Art Deco-style motifs. The door is framed by fluted limestone jambs surmounted by a stone pediment carved with geometric patterns and a nameplate. There is a smaller door on the narrower Greenwich facade. The entire facade sits of a 4-foot-high polished granite plinth.

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