175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

History

New York City mayor John Francis Hylan's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 mi of new lines and taking over nearly 100 mi of existing lines. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and BMT. On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval for the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line. This line consisted of a corridor connecting Inwood, Manhattan, to Downtown Brooklyn, running largely under Eighth Avenue but also paralleling Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan. The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a station at 175th Street.

The finishes at the five stations between 175th and 207th Street were 18 percent completed by May 1930. By that August, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed and that the stations from 116th to 207th Street were 99.9 percent completed. The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles. A preview event for the new subway was hosted on September 8, 1932, two days before the official opening. The 175th Street station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated IND's initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.

The tiles on the station's walls were repaired in 1937. In 1952, as part of an early plan for the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, officials proposed building an underpass between the 175th Street station and the planned bus terminal. The elevators at the station were installed in November 1989, making the station one of the earliest to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The station was planned to be rehabilitated as part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program. Both elevators were closed for replacement, as of December 2023, and were scheduled to reopen in June 2024. Both elevators reopened as of late February 2025, eight months behind schedule.

Station layout

The underground station has two tracks and one island platform, with single green columns in the center of the platform rather than the double columns found near the platform edges at other stations. The tilework in this station is plain, and lacks the maroon-colored tile bands that are present at adjacent stations along the line.

It is linked by a tunnel to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. The tunnel, which is maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is not wheelchair-accessible, as using it requires traversing a short flight of stairs between the tunnel and the station mezzanine. This tunnel is closed at night between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The 174th Street Yard, used to store trains assigned to the C service, is adjacent to this station to the east.

Exits

The full-time exits are at 175th Street and 177th Street. The station is fully accessible, with an elevator at the northeast corner of 177th Street, and another from the mezzanine to the platform. The 177th Street exit offers a direct passageway into the basement of the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, but it includes stairs.

The ADA-accessible exits at the northwest, northeast, and southwest corners of Fort Washington Avenue and 177th Street. The northwest corner has two stairs, the southwest corner has one stair, and the northeast corner has one stair and one elevator. There are also exits at the southwest and southeast corners of Fort Washington Avenue and 175th Street.

There is also a closed exit at the south end of the station that leads to the southeast corner of 174th Street and Fort Washington Avenue via a passageway. The passageway was not monitored and was closed to improve security. In June 1994, the MTA Board approved a plan to permanently close the entrance, allowing the passageway to be sealed with brick-and-mortar with the street staircase slabbed over. At this point, the entrance had been closed for several years. A public meeting was held in May 1994, along with proposed station access changes at other stations.

Bus service

The station and the nearby George Washington Bridge Bus Station are served by ten local MTA Regional Bus Operations routes and various interstate bus routes.

References

References

1. (September 10, 1932). "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". [[The New York Times]].
2. (August 4, 1923). "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times.
3. (March 12, 1924). "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times.
4. (December 10, 1924). "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times.
5. {{Cite Routes Not Taken
6. (5 Feb 1928). "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune.
7. (1930-05-26). "Progress is Rapid on 8th Av. Subway; Board's Engineers Report Spurt in Building Is Likely to Open the Line in July, 1930". The New York Times.
8. (1930-08-24). "Eighth Av. Subway Nearly Completed; Basic Construction Work From Chambers to 207th St. Done Except on Few Short Stretches". The New York Times.
9. O'Brien, John C.. (9 Sep 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune.
10. (September 9, 1932). "Sightseers Invade New Subway When Barricade Is lifted". The New York Times.
11. (September 9, 1932). "8th Av. Subway Gets First 5c. by Woman's Error: She Peers Into a Station, Hears Train, Pays for Ride, but Is Day Too Early Preparing for Tomorrow's Rush on 8th Ave. Subway". New York Herald Tribune.
12. (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped". [[The New York Times]].
13. Sebring, Lewis B.. (10 Sep 1932). "Midnight Jam Opens City's New Subway: Turnstiles Click Into Action at 12:01 A. M. as Throngs Battle for Places in 'First' Trains Boy, 7, Leads Rush At 42d St. Station City at Last Hails 8th Ave. Line After 7-Year Wait; Cars Bigger, Clean Transit Commissioner Officially Opening New Subway at Midnight". New York Herald Tribune.
14. (1937-06-18). "City Subway Riders Get 'Mystery Trips'; Early Morning Trains Perform Weird Manoeuvres at 168th St. to Let Tilers Work". The New York Times.
15. (1952-04-08). "Street Plan to Aid Traffic at Bridge; Wider Manhattan Approach to George Washington Span in New $628,000 Project". The New York Times.
16. (December 11, 2015). "Review of the A and C Lines". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
17. "Accessible Stations Subway Map".
18. "Connections - George Washington Bridge Bus Station - The Port Authority of NY & NJ".
19. {{NYCS const. trackref. trackbook3
20. (2015). "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Washington Heights". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
21. {{Cite NYC bus map. M
22. {{Cite NYC bus map. Bx