96th 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 96th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's West Side Line (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) from 82nd Street to 104th Street, for which work had begun on August 22, 1900. Work for that section had been awarded to William Bradley.[6] The 96th Street station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch.[4]^:186[1]

When the station opened, the station served as the terminus of local trains; express trains would run as locals north to 145th Street.[7] After the initial system was completed in 1908,[8] the station was served by local and express trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now the Lenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street). Express trains had their southern terminus at South Ferry or Atlantic Avenue and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street, Lenox Avenue (145th Street), or West Farms (180th Street).[9] Express trains to 145th Street were later eliminated, and West Farms express trains and rush-hour Broadway express trains operated through to Brooklyn.[10]

On June 27, 1907, a modification called the 96th Street Improvement was made to Contract 1 to add additional tracks at 96th Street in order to remove the at-grade junction north of the 96th Street station. Here, trains from Lenox Avenue and Broadway would switch to get to the express or local tracks and would delay service.[11] The new tracks would have been constructed with the necessary fly-under tracks and switches.[12]^:14 The work was partially completed in 1908, but was stopped because the introduction of speed-control signals made the remainder of the project unnecessary. Provisions were left to allow the work to be completed later on. The signals were put into place at 96th Street on April 23, 1909. The new signals allowed trains approaching a station to run more closely to the stopped train, eliminating the need to be separated by hundreds of feet.[13]^{:85–87, 191}

In 1909, to address overcrowding, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[14]^: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.[15]^:15 At the 96th Street station, the northbound island platform was extended 100 feet (30 m) south, while the southbound island platform was extended 135 feet (41 m) south, necessitating the replacement of some structural steel girders.[15]^:111 On January 23, 1911, ten-car express trains began running on the Lenox Avenue Line, and the following day, ten-car express trains were inaugurated on the West Side Line.[14]^:168[16]

In 1915, the IRT considered constructing a new mezzanine and entrance at the southern end of the station leading to the central mall of Broadway at 94th Street, with an estimated cost of $60,000.[17] The additional entrance would have reduced congestion at the station, and reduce travel times for people south of 94th Street. In addition, two additional staircases would have been constructed to each island platform.[18] Plans were prepared in 1923. Though the IRT sent a proposed agreement for the construction of the entrance to the New York City Board of Estimate, the Board of Estimate suggested that staircases be constructed on the sidewalk. The IRT decided not to pursue this option since it would cost twice as much, or $100,000, and decided not to construct a new entrance at the southern end of the station at the time.[19] 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 (Broadway and Lenox Avenue) were sent to South Ferry, while express trains (Broadway and West Farms) used the new Clark Street Tunnel to Brooklyn.[20]

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.[21] The Broadway/West Side route became known as the 1, the West Farms route as the 2, and the Lenox Avenue route as the 3.[22]

On June 14, 1956, the New York City Transit Authority announced a $100 million project to modernize the IRT Broadway—Seventh Avenue Line and improve service. It was estimated that the project would be completed in 2.5 years.[23] In 1957, work began to lengthen station platforms between Times Square and 96th Street, with the exception of 91st Street, to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate ten-car trains. Originally, stations north of Times Squares could barely fit five- or six-car local trains depending on the configuration of the trains. In 1960, work was completed on improvements at the 96th Street station, including the installation of fluorescent lighting, and the extension of the platforms.[24][25][26] To make room for the platform extensions, the local tracks and the outside walls had to be moved. A new mezzanine with stairways to the street, and direct access to both express platforms, was built between West 93rd Street and West 94th Street.[27][24] Due to the lengthening of the platforms at 86th Street and 96th Street, the intermediate 91st Street station was closed on February 2, 1959, because it was too close to the other two stations.[28][27] Once most of the work on the project was completed on February 6, 1959, all 1 trains became local, running at an increased frequency, and all 2 and 3 trains became express, and eight-car local trains began operation.[29]

On August 9, 1964, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced the letting of a $7.6 million contract to lengthen platforms at stations from Rector Street to 34th Street–Penn Station on the line, and stations from Central Park North–110th Street to 145th Street on the Lenox Avenue Line. The completion of the project would allow express trains to be lengthened from nine-car trains to ten-car trains, and to lengthen locals from eight-car trains to ten-car trains.[30]

By 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.[31]

In July 2006, Manhattan Community Board 7 approved an $80 million renovation of the station. Construction started in 2007 on a state-of-the-art head house in the median of Broadway between 95th and 96th Streets, with wheelchair-accessible elevators to the platforms; Broadway was reconfigured for four blocks to accommodate this. By 2008, renovation of the 40,000 square feet (3,716 m²) station was nearly finished below budget (only $65 million was used to complete the renovation) and on schedule.[32] By 2009, the opening of the new head house was set to be 20 months early and $26 million cheaper due to budget cuts.[33][34]

The new head house opened on April 5, 2010 and replaced the underpass and side platforms.[35] The side platforms became office and control space, and the entrances removed to accommodate narrowed sidewalks resulting from the roadway being displaced by the new head house and its island.[36] All of the beige tiles installed in the 1950s were removed and either revealed original tiles or were replaced with new tiles. The elevators opened on November 9, 2010 making the station ADA-accessible.[37] Local residents voiced dissatisfaction with the significant loss of sidewalks adjacent to businesses.[38] Also, the intersection of 96th Street and Broadway is dangerous, making the crossing to the new station entrance "treacherous".[39]

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the tunnel is covered by a "U"-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 inches (100 mm) thick.[44]^:9 Each platform consists of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m), while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 feet (1.5 m), support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.[5]^:4[44]^:9 There is a 1-inch (25 mm) gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4-inch (100 mm)-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.[44]^:9

The decorative scheme consists of red tile tablets, pink tile bands, a buff cornice, and buff plaques. The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Alfred Boote Company.[44]^:38 The design of the original station differs from that of the platform extensions, and the extent of the original station is clearly visible. Differences in the walls and ceiling are visible at the south end.

Track layout
to 103 St to Central Pk N to 86 St to 72 St Upper level Lower level

North of 96th Street, there are crossovers between the uptown and downtown pairs of tracks, and between the express tracks. The express tracks then descend and turn east under West 104th Street and running northeast under Central Park on their way to the IRT Lenox Avenue Line at West 110th Street. The local tracks remain on the upper level to Riverdale, Bronx. After the express tracks diverge, a currently unused center track starts at approximately 100th Street.[40]

Some evidence remains of the 96th Street Improvement of 1907. As part of the project, one additional track would have run from 96th Street along the east side of Broadway, branching off the northbound local track and descending to the lower level, with a spur connecting to the Lenox tracks at 100th Street. The new northbound track would have then risen and merged with the northbound local track at 102nd Street. At 100th Street, a spur would connect to the other tracks. Two additional tracks would have been constructed, running along the west side of Broadway from 96th Street to 101st Street. The first of these two tracks would have branched off of the southbound local track and run parallel before merging back into that track at 101st Street. The second of these two tracks would have diverged from the first additional track on the west side of Broadway, and would run parallel and at the same grade until 98th Street. Here, the track would descend to the lower level. At 101st Street the track would curve and connect with the southbound track of the Lenox Avenue Line.[11] The completed parts of this project include the third northbound track, and a provision for a third track into the lower-level Lenox branch of the junction.

There are two sets of entrances and exits at the station.[47] Unlike more recent stations with full-length mezzanines, these entrance points are not connected; they can only be reached from the ends of the platforms.

Completed new head house

The main, ADA-accessible entrance is through a domed, glass head house on the Broadway median between 95th and 96th Streets. Construction started in 2007, and the head house opened on April 5, 2010. Entrances are on both the 95th and 96th Street sides of the head house. Above each of the head house's entrances, and unusually for New York City Subway stations, the entrance's name plaque reads simply "96" in white letters upon glass, and light-up red circles containing the numbers "1", "2", and "3", the services of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. On the 96th Street side, there is a fare booth.

There are two staircases each at the southeastern and southwestern corners of 94th Street and Broadway. There is a crossover within fare control at this end of the station.[47]

There were two staircases each at the southeastern and southwestern corners of 96th Street and Broadway.[47][lower-alpha 1] Although fare control was at platform-level (on the unused side platforms), there was a free cross-under at this end of the station upon entering the paid area. The staircases were closed when the head house was opened on April 5, 2010, but a part of the original cross-under inside the fare control still exists.[48][lower-alpha 1]

There was a control house in the median of Broadway, which dated to the station's opening in 1904. It was built as one of several station houses on the original IRT; similar station houses were built at Bowling Green and 72nd, 103rd, and 116th Streets.[49]^:46 The old control house has been closed and removed.