Prospect Park station (BMT lines)

History

This station opened on July 2, 1878 when the Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway established it as the Brighton Line's temporary northern terminus on what was then known as the Willink Entrance to Prospect Park. On August 18, 1878, the line was completed north to Bedford Terminal with a connection to the Long Island Rail Road.

In 1918, the station began a rebuilding in order to accommodate the new subway connection to the Manhattan Bridge and Montague Street Tunnel. This rebuilding contributed to the Malbone Street wreck on November 1 of that year, when a train of elevated cars derailed on the then-new curve leading to what is now the unused southbound outer track. At least 93 individuals died, making it one of the U.S.'s deadliest train crashes.

On August 1, 1920, a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue opened, connecting the Brighton Line to the Broadway subway in Manhattan. At the same time, the line's former track connections to the Fulton Street Elevated were severed. Subway trains from Manhattan and elevated trains from Franklin Avenue served Brighton Line stations, sharing the line to Coney Island. To the south of this station, express service operated on the Brighton Line.

The Prospect Park station was the closest station to Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers until the team moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. The stadium was located at Bedford Avenue and Sullivan Place three blocks to the east and one block to the north. That area is now occupied by the Ebbets Field Apartments.

In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of the funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations, including Prospect Park. The MTA conducted a $12 million renovation of the Prospect Park station in the mid-1990s. The first phase of the renovation took place from November 1992 to August 1994; it included restoring the station's tiled friezes and yellow-tile walls, as well as restoring the entrance at Empire Boulevard, adding a decorative gate alluding to the Prospect Park Zoo. The second phase included renovating the Lincoln Road entrance. The renovation was completed in 1996. In 1999, the MTA leased the space above the Lincoln Road entrance to a nursery school that planned to renovate the space for $600,000.

This station was the site of an October 15, 2008, NYPD arrest in which it was alleged that the suspect had been sodomized, leading to both criminal action and a lawsuit against the NYPD. All of the officers involved were acquitted and the lawsuit thrown out. In November 2019, officials installed a bronze memorial plaque at the Prospect Park station's northern exit in commemoration of the Malbone Street Wreck.

Station layout

This open cut station has four tracks and two island platforms. Both platforms have red canopies with green frames and support columns that run for the either length. Every other column has the standard black station name plate in white lettering.

The station is served by the train and the Franklin Avenue Shuttle at all times, and by the train only on weekdays during the day.

At the north end of the station, B and Q trains ramp down into a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue, running parallel to the IRT Eastern Parkway Line before merging with the BMT Fourth Avenue Line at DeKalb Avenue while the shuttle curves to the northeast and becomes an open cut route after a short tunnel towards Franklin Avenue. The platforms are split into two sections at this end separated by a beige concrete wall.

At the south end of the station, there are crossovers and switches as the Brighton Line becomes a four-track corridor to Ocean Parkway. B trains stay on the express track and run to Brighton Beach; Q trains switch to the local track and run to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue.

Artwork

The 1994 artwork here is called Brighton Clay Re-Leaf by Susan Tunick. It features ceramic tiles in both station entrances/exits that depict leaves to symbolize Prospect Park. This artwork is also at Parkside Avenue.

Exits

The station has two entrances/exits. The full-time one is at the extreme south end. A single double-wide staircase and ADA-accessible elevators go up from each platform to a beige ground level station house that is on the north side of the Lincoln Road overpass above the platforms between Ocean and Flatbush Avenues. Each platform elevator is connected to the station house by a glass-enclosed passageway above their respective platforms. There is a bank of turnstiles, a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions and a token booth inside the station house. Additionally, there is a private preschool immediately adjacent to the station house entrance.

The station's other entrance/exit at the north end is un-staffed. Two staircases from each platform at the tunnel portal go up to a waiting area, where a bank of turnstiles and one exit-only turnstile lead to a mezzanine that had its part-time token booth removed in 2010. Outside fare control, a single staircase goes up to a small plaza with an ornate fence between two buildings on the west side of Flatbush Avenue between Ocean and Lefferts Avenues. An inscribed bronze plaque to the Malbone Street Wreck, installed in 2019, is located on the wall outside the northern exit.

References

References

1. Cudahy, Brian (1999). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=v5eYL7PTP3cC The Malbone Street Wreck]'', New York: Fordham University Press. p. 81.
2. ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle''. October 27, 1919. p. 10.
3. Walsh, Kevin. (October 4, 1998). "The lore of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle".
4. (August 1, 1920). "New Subway Link Opens; Service Started Through Queens and Montague Street Tubes.".
5. (August 1, 1920). "Montague Street Tube, Brighton Subway Operation Begun". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
6. Kennedy, Randy. (September 30, 2003). "Tunnel Vision; Short Line. Small Train. Little Graffiti.". The New York Times.
7. Benenson, Joel. (April 1, 1993). "Albany deal to save the $1.25 fare". New York Daily News.
8. Faison, Seth. (April 3, 1993). "$9.6 Billion Package for M.T.A. Is Crucial to its Rebuilding Plans". The New York Times.
9. (May 28, 1993). "Stop the Fussing". Newsday.
10. (August 28, 1994). "Postings: The Prospect Park Stop; Ironwork and Mosaics Brighten a Renovated City Subway Station". The New York Times.
11. Hays, Constance L.. (December 29, 1996). "Notes from the Underground: Station Renovations Continue. Watch Your Step on the Tiles.". The New York Times.
12. Barnes, Julian E.. (August 8, 1999). "Neighborhood Report: Prospect Lefferts Gardens; Drop the Kids at the Subway Station, and Go to Work". The New York Times.
13. (February 22, 2010). "Michael Mineo sodomy trial verdict: Jury finds all cops not guilty on all counts". New York Daily News.
14. Rivoli, Dan. (November 2, 2019). "Transit Officials Memorialize Worst Subway Crash in NY History". Spectrum News NY1.
15. Barone, Vincent. (November 1, 2019). "Officials commemorate deadliest city subway crash with plaque".
16. {{NYCS const. trackref. trackbook3
17. Seventh Avenue]] for B and Q trains and [[Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station#BMT Franklin Avenue Line platforms. Botanic Garden]] for the shuttle. The next stop to the south is [[Parkside Avenue station. Parkside Avenue]] for local Q trains and [[Church Avenue station (BMT Brighton Line). map
18. [http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Artwork:Brighton_Clay_Re-Leaf(Susan_Tunick) Artwork: Brighton Clay Re-Leaf (Susan Tunick)]
19. "MTA Guide to Accessible Transit". MTA.info.
20. (2015). "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Park Slope/Prospect Park". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
21. (2001). "The Complete Illustrated Guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden". Silver Lining Books.
22. Geberer, Raanan. (November 1, 2019). "101 years later, deadliest subway crash in New York remembered".
23. Zagare, Liena. (November 1, 2019). "Never Forget: 101 Years After The Worst Subway Crash in NYC History, Malbone Wreck Finally Gets Memorialized".