Division B (BMT) Services Q (all times) Tracks 4 Opened 1907 Structure Embankment | Line BMT Brighton Line Platforms 2 side platforms Accessible (southbound only) Borough Brooklyn | |
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Address Brooklyn, NY 11230, United States Locale Midwood, Flatbush, Fiske Terrace Similar Newkirk Plaza, Avenue J, Avenue M, Parkside Avenue, Cortelyou Road | ||
Avenue H is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Avenue H between East 15th and East 16th Streets on the border of Midwood and Flatbush, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q train at all times.
Contents
Station layout
The Avenue H station is laid out in a typical local stop setup. There are four tracks and two side platforms. The center two tracks are the express tracks used by the B train on weekdays. The 620 feet (190 m)-long platform accommodates full-length trains typically composed of eight 75 feet (23 m) cars, nine 67 feet (20 m) cars, or ten 60 feet (18 m) cars. The station is located at a transitional point on the right-of-way. North of the station, the roadbed ramps down to an open-cut. South of the station, the line is on a raised earthen embankment. This is the result of an increase of grade on the line in the early 1900s which then allowed it to pass over (rather than under, as before) the newly depressed grade of the Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Branch and the nearby Manhattan Beach Junction station. The station platform lies over this crossing which exists between Avenues H and I.
Due to the change in elevation, the north end of this station is slightly above ground level and as a result, road traffic on Avenue H dead-ends on both sides of the line. However, there is a pedestrian tunnel underneath the embankment that connects the sidewalk on both sides.
The southbound (Coney Island-bound) local track is technically known as A1 while the northbound (Manhattan-bound) one is A2; the "A" designation is used for chaining purposes along the Brighton Line from the Manhattan Bridge to Coney Island. Although they cannot be accessed at Avenue H, the southbound and northbound express tracks are known as A3 and A4, respectively.
Landmarked station house
The station was opened around 1900 as Fiske Terrace, a two-track surface station serving the new planned community of Fiske Terrace in Midwood. The station house, or headhouse, through which the station is entered, is a landmarked wood frame structure built in 1905 as a real estate office of the T.B. Ackerson Company to sell homes in the new community. It was converted to railroad use in 1907, at the same time that the station was renamed "Avenue H."
In 2003, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced plans to demolish the structure, citing its wood construction as a fire hazard. The community intervened, emphasizing the building's historic importance, architectural significance, connecting to the adjacent community and the fact that several other wooden station houses on the subway system had been given landmark status earlier.
On June 29, 2004, the station house was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. This allows renovations inside, but preserves the major structure and exterior. The contract to "restore the landmark station control house" as well as rehabilitation of the platforms and other stations structures was advertised for bids by the MTA for January 2007.
The official designation report describes the building:
Reconstruction
This station underwent reconstruction from September 2009 to December 2011. Both platforms were rebuilt with new edges, windscreens, and canopies. An additional unstaffed station house on the extreme north end of the Coney Island-bound platform was added on what was once marshland. The new station house included an ADA-accessible ramp. The landmarked station house was also renovated, and several turnstiles were added to the station.
Exits
Both of the station's entrances are at the north end of the station. The station's main entrance is the landmarked station house on the east side of the tracks, on the south side of Avenue H. There are turnstiles and a full-time booth in the station house. There is also a HEET adjacent to the station house, from which a stair leads to the northbound platform, and an underpass leads to a single staircase to the Coney Island-bound platform. Access to these stairs is also available via turnstiles in the underpass. There is an exit-only turnstile on either side of the underpass.
The ADA-accessible ramp and a stair leads to the unstaffed brick station house on the west side of the tracks. The ramp wraps around the station house to adjust for the height difference between the station house and ground level. This station house contains a bank of regular and High Entry/Exit Turnstiles as well as a part-time booth.