181st Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

Planning for the city's first subway line dates to the Rapid Transit Act, authorized by the New York State Legislature in 1894.[4]^:139–140 The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.[5]^:3 A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899.[4]^:148 The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,[6] in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.[4]^:182 In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.[5]^:4 Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.[4]^:182

The 181st Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's West Side Line (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) from 133rd Street to a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 182nd Street. Work on this section was conducted by L. B. McCabe & Brother, who started building the tunnel segment on May 14, 1900.[6] The 168th Street, 181st Street, and 191st Street stations were built as part of the Washington Heights Mine Tunnel (also known as the Fort George Tunnel), which stretches for over 2 miles (3.2 km).[3]^:5[7]^:257 The tunnel was dug through the hard rock under Washington Heights, with work proceeding from either end as well as from construction shafts. Construction shafts were excavated at 168th and 181st Streets, and elevators were installed inside these construction shafts after the tunnel was completed.[7]^:257[8]^:60 Due to the steep terrain, the tunnel had to be mined using explosives, and blasting was done at in the early morning to minimize disruption. Much of the rock was crushed for concrete, including the concrete floor. The rails and arched roof were laid using travelers that proceeded the length of the tunnel.[3]^:5 During construction, on October 24, 1903, a 300-ton boulder weakened by an explosive gave way, killing 10 miners (six instantly) and injuring eight more.[9][10] The dead miners consisted of eight Italian immigrants, the foreman from Italy, and an electrician from Germany.[11]

The original New York City Subway line from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch opened in 1904,[4]^:186[12]^:189 with the line being extended to 157th Street that year.[13]^:191 The West Side Branch was extended northward from 157th Street to a temporary terminus at 221st Street and Broadway on March 12, 1906, with the station at 181st Street not yet open.[14] This extension was served by shuttle trains operating between 157th Street and 221st Street for two months. The 181st Street station opened on May 30, 1906, when express trains began running through to 221st Street.[15] The opening of the first subway line, and particularly the 181st Street station, helped contribute to the development of Washington Heights.[3]^:10 After the initial system was completed in 1908,[16] the station was served by West Side local and express trains. Express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and ended at 242nd Street in the Bronx. Local trains ran from City Hall to 242nd Street during rush hours, continuing south from City Hall to South Ferry at other times.[17] In 1918, the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street, thereby dividing the original line into an "H" system. Local trains were sent to South Ferry, while express trains used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.[18]

Street stair

The station was originally built with two elevators on the southern end of the uptown platform.[19] In fiscal year 1909, work was done to increase the carrying load of the elevators.[20] On June 25, 1909, the New York City Board of Estimate approved an appropriation of $160,000 for the installation of four additional elevators on the northern end of the uptown platform.[21] These elevators measured 8.75 by 11.5 feet (2.67 by 3.51 m) each and could carry up to 8,000 pounds (3,628.7 kg).[22] In June 1910, work on the additional elevators was about 50 percent complete, and was on track to be completed by March 1, 1911, with their in service date to be earlier than that.[23] Work to install the elevators was nearly complete in 1911, and the final finishes were installed by January and February 1912.[24]

In 1909, to address overcrowding, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[25]^:168 On January 18, 1910, a modification was made to Contracts 1 and 2 to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $41.2 million in 2019) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $13,719,643 in 2019) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.[26]^:15 The northbound platform at the 181st Street station was extended 176 feet (54 m) to the north; timbering was used to support the arched ceiling during the extension work, thereby allowing it to retain structural integrity.[26]^:113–114 The southbound platform was not lengthened.[26]^:106 On January 24, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the West Side Line.[25]^:168[27]

In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to 514 feet (157 m) to allow full ten-car express trains to stop at this station. Previously, the station could accommodate six-car local trains, but ten-car trains could not open some of their doors. The platform extensions at these stations were opened in stages. On April 6, 1948, the platform extension at 181st Street opened.[28][29] Simultaneously, the IRT routes were given numbered designations with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock. The first such fleet, the R12, was put into service in 1948.[30] The Broadway/West Side route to 242nd Street became known as the 1.[31] In 1959, all 1 trains became local.[32]

On December 28, 1950, the New York City Board of Transportation issued a report concerning the construction of bomb shelters in the subway system. Five deep stations in Washington Heights, including the 181st Street station, were considered to be ideal for being used as bomb-proof shelters. The program was expected to cost $104 million. These shelters were expected to provide limited protection against conventional bombs, while providing protection against shock waves and air blast, as well as from the heat and radiation from an atomic bomb. To become suitable as shelters, the stations would require water-supply facilities, first-aid rooms, and additional bathrooms.[33] However, the program, which required federal funding, was never completed.[34]

In Fiscal Year 1959, two elevators in the station were replaced with automatic ones that could travel at higher speeds.[35] The southern elevators were closed circa 1981.[3]^:8 In Fiscal Year 1961, the installation of fluorescent lighting at the station was completed.[36]

In April 1988,[37] the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) unveiled plans to speed up service on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line through the implementation of a skip-stop service: the 9 train.[38] When skip-stop service started in 1989, it was only implemented north of 137th Street–City College on weekdays, and 181st Street was served by both the 1 and the 9.[39][40][41] Skip-stop service ended on May 27, 2005.[42][43]

The station was closed for the installation of new elevators in the late 1990s and reopened on November 22, 1999, upon the completion of elevator installation. The entrance at the southeast corner of 181st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue remained closed until early 2000.[44]

In 2004, the number of elevator attendants at the station and four others in Washington Heights was reduced to one per station as a result of budget cuts by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The agency had intended to remove all the attendants, but kept one in each station after many riders protested. The change saved $1.2 million a year.[45] In November 2007, the MTA proposed savings cuts to help reduce the agency's deficit. As part of the plan, all elevator operators at 181st Street, along with those in four other stations in Washington Heights, would have been cut.[46] On December 7, 2007, the MTA announced that it would not remove the remaining elevator operators at these stations. The move was intended to save $1.7 million a year, but was not implemented due to pushback from elected officials and residents from the area.[47] In October 2018, the MTA again proposed removing the elevator operators at the five stations, but this decision was reversed after dissent from the Transport Workers' Union.[48]

The elevator attendants serve as a way to reassure passengers as the elevators are the only entrance to the platforms, and passengers often wait for the elevators with an attendant.[49] The attendants at the five stations are primarily maintenance and cleaning workers who suffered injuries that made it hard for them to continue doing their original jobs.[50]

Station view before the 2009 ceiling collapse. Note the scaffolding on the bridge from the 2007 ceiling collapse

There was a partial ceiling collapse at the station in 2007.[9] After that collapse, protective scaffolding was erected, and officials devised a master plan for ceiling repairs. However, funds for the ceiling repairs were not approved by the New York State Legislature until August 14, 2009.[51] Two days later, on August 16 at around 10:30 pm, a 25-foot section of the bricks collapsed onto both tracks and platforms. Nobody was injured in the incident.[9] This caused suspension of 1 service between 168th Street and Dyckman Street stations in both directions for eight days with free shuttle buses providing replacement.[52][53] End-to-end service on the 1 was restored on August 24,[53] and the 181st Street station reopened one week later.[54][55] An internal MTA audit found that the ceiling had been allowed to decay for a decade prior to the collapse.[56] A $30 million repair of the 168th and 181st Street stations was to start in early 2012,[57][58] but was delayed by several months due to scheduling conflicts.[59] The renovation was scheduled to take two and a half years.[60]

This station is closed from December 5, 2020, to December 2021 for elevator repair, accelerated from the original date of March 2021 to February 2022.[61] It is unclear whether the elevator operators will keep their jobs after their replacement.[62][63] As part of the reconstruction, the elevators will also stop on the northbound platform at the station.[61] During construction, M3 bus service between 191st and 168th Streets was increased.[61]

Some of the name plaques contain a tablet with the words "181st Street", beneath which is a secondary tablet with the words "George Washington Bridge".

Much of the station is contained within a vault that measures 50 feet (15 m) wide.[8]^:60 The lowest 6 feet (1.8 m) of the vault walls are wainscoted with rust-colored brick. Atop the brick wainscoting are a belt course made of marble and a multicolored mosaic frieze measuring about 16 inches (410 mm) thick. The tops of the walls contain tan brick. Tile name tablets are placed above the frieze at regular intervals, with white letters on a dark background surrounded by floral designs. Some of these plaques consist of a single mosaic tablet with the words "181st Street / George Washington Bridge" on two lines of text, in reference to the nearby George Washington Bridge. Others contain a primary plaque with the words "181st Street", a secondary plaque with the words "George Washington Bridge" beneath it, and a mosaic flower atop the primary plaque.[3]^:6–7

The top of the vault ceiling is approximately three stories above the platform level. The center of the vault ceiling has six multicolored terracotta medallions at regular intervals; these formerly held lighting fixtures. The medallions contain foliate rings surrounded by egg-and-dart moldings, followed by guilloche moldings. Similar, smaller rosettes are on the side walls of the vault. The modern lighting fixtures are fluorescent tubes on the vault walls.[3]^:6–7

The station's platform extensions have ceilings that are 10 to 12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) above the platform level. At the portals between the original vault and the much lower ceilings of the platform extensions, there is a wide arch over the tracks flanked by narrow arches over each platform. These transitions are clad with tan brick. The arch over the tracks has a volute with a laurel wreath.[3]^:6 The walls of the platform extensions have white ceramic tiles with mosaic friezes as well as plaques with the words "181st Street / George Washington Bridge". The walls are divided every 15 feet (4.6 m) by multicolored tile pilasters that are 16 inches (410 mm) wide. Columns near the platform edge, clad with white tile, support the jack-arched concrete station roof.[3]^:7

The northern elevator mezzanine is the only one that is open to the public, as the southern mezzanine was shuttered in 1981 when that elevator bank closed. The walls of the mezzanine and connecting passageways are clad with white ceramic tiles, while the tops of the walls contain multicolored friezes similar to at platform level. The mezzanine and passageway ceilings are made of concrete. The fare control area contains two retail spaces and is clad with ceramic and glazed tile.[3]^:8

There are two exits to this station, one at either eastern corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and 181st Street. The northeast-corner entrance is inside a building and the southeast-corner entrance is on the street.[3]^:8[67] The station serves Yeshiva University and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.[67]