157 Street (1) - The SubwayNut

Home<N.Y.C. Subway Stations<157 Street/Broadway

157th Street is a simple Heins & LaFarge era IRT local station that opened on 12 November, 1904 just a couple of weeks after the subway's opening day. The station's features are similar to others down the line, notably 145 Street, 86 Street and 79 Street. Each stop has a similar terra cotta panels in the trim that have numerals of the station surrounded by two cornucopias (horns of plenty). Most of the original molding and name exists in the original portion of the station, the extension portion is tastefully similar to the original portion with mosaic 157s in the trim and the mosaic name tablets here look almost the same as the mosaic name tablets in the original portion of the station. On the uptown platform there is a brief area in the middle of the station of 1950s 157 tiling. The station has only two tracks as the line becomes two just north of 145 Street to make the transition to the two track deep bore tunnel underneath Washington Heights. There are staffed exits with token booths on either platform and each has two exits to the street.


(157n11) A entrance to the uptown platform at 157 Street along the eastern side of Broadway.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 9 November, 2003	(157n12) An uptown 1 train leaves 157 Street after stopping.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 9 November, 2003	(157n13) Looking down the downtown platform at 157 Street towards its northern end in the extension portion of the station with signs for the exit way off in the distance.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n14) The 157 in the brown trim in the extension portion of the station.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008

(157n15) Tiled columns that are extremely frequent line the platform at 157 Street.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n16) 157 tiling in the center of the platform walls in the extension portion of the station a brown mosaic border around them are a nice touch.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n17) A 157th Street name tablet in the extension portion of the station, a very IND era exit sign with an arrow for the only exit to 157th St is underneath it.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n18) The transition era between the brown mosaic trim of the extension portion of the station and the intricate crown terra cotta molding of the original platform.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008

(157n19) A close up of a terra cotta 157 with the cornucopias on either side of it as decorations in the station trimPhoto by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n110) A name tablet in the old portion of 157th Street, the brown mosaic trim line is inconsistently on the walls do to various tile jobs over the yearsPhoto by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n111) 157 signs on the columns between the two tracks there.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n112) The fare control area on the downtown platform at 157th Street, there is a newsstand that has been closed for a number of yearsPhoto by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008

(157n113) A portion of the side of a name tablet at 157th Street has had its cross shape tiled over.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n114) Looking up at original terra cotta detailing in the ceiling at 157th Street in front of a just installed LED platform sign that doesn't seem to be turned on yet.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n115) Looking across the tracks to the uptown platform at 157th Street.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008	(157n116) The old terra cotta molding ends and the more modern mosaic 157s in the trim area begin at 157th Street.Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 24 June, 2008