75th Street–Elderts Lane station

History

This station opened on May 28, 1917 under the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, an affiliate of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company.

In the late 1980s, the Elderts Lane end of the station had a mezzanine area, but it was closed, and had become a haven to drugs and prostitution, so the staircases to the south end of the station were removed. When it was found that people were still getting into the closed mezzanine, the entire mezzanine area was dismantled, leaving the only exit and entrance to the station on the north side (75th Street). It was reported in Newsday on February 20, 1988, that the mezzanines at Elderts Lane, Forest Parkway and 104th Street stations would be torn down.

In February 2023, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that this station would temporarily close for renovations as part of a station renewal contract at four stations on the Jamaica Line. Starting February 27, the eastbound platforms at this station and Woodhaven Boulevard closed. The closure shifted to the Manhattan-bound platform in January 2024, and the platform reopened in July 2024. Work included platform renewals, replacement of stairs, canopies, and windscreens, installation of artwork, and minimizing the gaps between the train and the platform edge. The work was performed by Gramercy PJS Joint-Venture.

Station layout

This elevated station has two side platforms and two tracks with space for a center track. The station is centered between Eldert Lane and 75th Street. The eastern end (railroad north) end of the station is just east of 75th Street while the western end (railroad south) lies over the west side of Eldert Lane. Since this portion of Eldert Lane lies on the border between Brooklyn and Queens, most of the station is in Queens, with a small portion of it in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. The MTA counts the station as being in Queens. The New York City GIS portal labels the station as "75th St–Eldert Ln", with the "s" removed from "Elderts," matching the current name of the street. (The street name has evolved from Eldert's Lane to Elderts Lane to the current Eldert Lane, which gives rise to the discrepancy between the MTA naming and the street name.)

Both platforms have beige windscreens and brown canopies supported by green frames and support columns along their entire lengths except for a small section at the south end. Here, they have black steel waist high fences with lampposts at regular intervals.

The 1990 artwork here is called Five Points of Observation by Kathleen McCarthy. It affords a view of the street from the platforms and resembles a face when seen from the street. This artwork is also located in four other stations on this line.

Exits

This station has one elevated station house beneath the tracks. Staircases from the east end (railroad north) of each platform, one each, lead down to a waiting area/crossover, where a turnstile bank provides entrance/exit from the station. Outside fare control, there is a token booth and two staircases going down to either eastern corner of 75th Street and Jamaica Avenue. The other exits on the west end (railroad south) of the platform, which led to Elderts Lane, were removed.

References

References

1. (May 27, 1917). "TO OPEN JAMAICA AV. LINE.; Nearly Two and a Half Miles Ready for Operation Tonight". The New York Times.
2. (May 31, 1917). "Jamaica Avenue 'L' is an Old Story Already". The Leader-Observer.
3. (January 15, 1918). "Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York, Volume 1". New York State Public Service Commission.
4. Liff, Bob. (February 20, 1988). "Less Money for TA Means Fewer Fixes Will Be Made". Newsday.
5. Mohamed, Carlotta. (February 21, 2023). "MTA to begin renovations at 75th Street station platform in Woodhaven".
6. (February 17, 2023). "MTA Announces Upcoming Station Renovations at Cypress Hills, 75 St, and 85 St Stations on the J and Z Line".
7. Bardolf, Deirdre. (February 16, 2023). "J train work starting in Woodhaven: MTA".
8. {{NYCS const. riderref
9. "NYCityMap • DoITT • City-Wide GIS".
10. (July 3, 2005). "ELDERT LANE: BROOKLYN-QUEENS LINE".