72nd Street Subway Control House & Entrance Building

 subway station, switch control house

A Flemish-Renaissance subway control house (on the south side of 72nd Street at Verdi Square) completed in 1904, and an additional entrance building on the north side of the street completed in 1996. Designed by Heins & LaFarge, the original structure was built to serve New York's first subway system. The control house occupies a triangular island enclosed by a wrought-iron fence just south of the intersection of Broadway and 72nd Street. The 1-story building rest on a granite block foundation and is faced in buff-colored Roman brick. Limestone quoins accent the corners and a limestone string course extends around the building at the base of the windows which have projecting stone sills. The low gabled roof is covered with copper sheets with raised joints. At the north and south sides, slightly projecting bays define the entrances. They are topped with curved gables finished with terra-cotta coping and accented with ball finials. The numerals "72" placed within a terra-cotta cross accent each gable. A louvered monitor, for light and ventilation purposes, extends along the ridge of the roof, connecting the two gables. There are four entrance door within each bay that are surmounted by a small pediment and a large tripartite arched window decorated with wrought-iron grillework. These elements are framed by a modified Gibbs surround executed in limestone.

Within the control house are token booths, turnstiles, gates and five stairways leading to the below-ground subway platforms. A fifth entrance door has been added to the north side of the building to the left of the main bay. The control house continues to serve the subway system to this day, and is one of four remaining original entrance control houses.

The newer entrance building in Verdi Square was completed in 1996, designed by Gruzen Samton/Dattner Architects. It is clad in glass (including glass blocks), green-painted steel, and beige brick. The design for the new station house takes its cue from the style of its historic predecessor. The new structure mirrors the organization and proportions of the existing building with a linear 3-bay arrangement and entrances on the north and south facades. Two lower side bays flank a central, higher bay in both buildings and the new building incorporates a vaulted skylight in the central bay. The skylights bring natural light to the platform level. The new building complements the height, scale and materials of the existing building, while an exposed steel structure and extensive glazing identify it as a contemporary building.

The control house was restored by Page Ayres Cowley Architecture in 2002.

www.pac-arch.com/west-72nd-st-subway-control-house
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