Shepherd Avenue is one of the stations on the Pitkin Subway Extension of the Fulton Street Line that opened just after World War II on November 28, 1948. It was an unfinished shell during the war that couldn't be finished because of material shortages from the war effort. This meant the station got a very unusual tile job and design for the mezzanine compared to the rest of the IND local stations.
The station's one mezzanine is in the extreme center of the station, the conductor stop board is looking at the passageway back from each of the platforms where each single staircase down from the mezzanine connects, facing the opposite direction, meaning riders must turn around and walk through this short passageway to get to the platforms. The mezzanine itself is extremely narrow by IND standards. On it a fence runs down the center allowing there to be a free transfer between directions with the turnstiles in the middle. Opposite the turnstiles is the token booth and four sets of staircases to street level (some of them have underground passageways that meander a bit to get to their actual exit). These streetstairs lead up to all four corners of Shepherd Avenue and Pitkin Avenue.
The station's florescent lights give it a bit of a yellow glow. The station walls have larger than normal basic tiles with a cream color. The name tablets have white text on a dark purple background with a lighter purple boarder. The station also has the trim that is standard for an IND station, two full light purple tiles with a half-tile purple boarder. White text and dark purple tile spell out Shepherd forming the station's trim. In addition, there tiled signs in this format for Public Telephones (to a small indentation in the wall that has none), Street for the staircases outside of fare control, and Shepherd in the arrow format pointing towards the only exit this station has ever had. Another aspect of the station that feels like the station never changed is that each platform still has an older black wooden bench, not the standard ones of today, that could have easily been there when the station opened.
Photos 1-22: May 29, 2009;
Shepherd is tiled in white text over purple just below the purple line that is the station's trip at Shepherd Av.
A purple Shephred Avenue name tablet with white text and purple with white arrow saying Shephred Ave pointing towards the station's exit below it.
The columns between the express and local tracks, facing the platforms have Shep-herd spelled on them on simple black text on white sings.
Another close up of Shepherd in the station's trim.
Looking down the Euclid-bound platform at Shepherd Avenue, the platform is completely columnless except for a couple of tiled columns near the platforms only exit smack in the middle of it.
Looking down the Euclid-bound platform at Shepherd Avenue, approaching the staircase up to the mezzanine and fare control level.
A Shepherd Avenue name tablet, with an old black wooden bench beneath it for waiting passengers.
Looking down the platform by the only three columns (all nicely tiled complete with the purple trim) on the entire Euclid-bound platform towards the staircase up to the mezzanine level.
The little passageway that connects the staircase from the mezzanine to the Euclid-bound platform at Shepherd Avenue, it goes down perpendicular to the platform, not facing it, requiring this strange passageway where people must fully turn around.
Looking up the only, but quite wide staircase from the Euclid-bound platform to the mezzanine level and fare control at Shepherd Avenue.
The mezzanine area within fare control is adequately sized but not overbuilt like many of the IND station mezzanines, the practice of tiling over all the station's columns continues.
Looking down the staircase to Lefferts Blvd & The Rockaways at Shepherd Avenue.
A tiled sign for Public Telephone (one no longer seems to be anywhere near the sign) on the mezzanine at Shepherd Ave.
Looking towards the staircase down to the Manhattan-bound platform at Shepherd Avenue, & The Bronx was stickered over but some of it has been exposed saying onx (this was done after the C stopped serving the Bronx over ten years ago).
Some passengers walk down a staircase from street level to the fairly small, but spacious enough mezzanine level at Shepherd Avenue.
Original tiling saying Street and pointing towards either direction, between two of the staircases at Shepherd Avenue.
Looking down the relatively small mezzanine area at Shepherd Avenue, the three turnstiles into the system, and the token booth are in view as well as two of the four staircases up to street level.
The little passengeway off the dead center of the Manhattan-bound paltform at Shephered Avenue leading to the single staircase up to street level.
A Warning: Do not lean over edge of platform and station name sign, both on the support beams between the express and local tracks facing the Manhattan-bound platform at Shephred Avenue.
Looking down the empty and minimalist Manhattan-bound side platform at Shephred Avenue. Another unique feature of the station is no advertising panels along the platform, not even ones that have been more recently tiled over.
Last Updated: March 17, 2023
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