Summary: For a small local subway stop, the Bleecker Street IRT station generated a lot of discussion as it was being designed and built. Bleecker Street station opened in 1904. Designed by the firm Heins amp LaFarge, Bleecker Street owes many of its characteristics to the IRTs chief engineer, William Barclay Parsons, and its chief financier, August Belmont. Today, it is one of the stations designated as an Interior Landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.Like most local 1904 stations, the original station was 200 feet long by 55 feet wide. Bleecker Street station sits close to the street surface, affording it one of its most striking features an infusion of natural light. Today the station is lit primarily by florescent lights and it is difficult to appreciate the effect of natural light, which is all but totally blocked. The original glass skylights let in an impressive amount of light from the street, easing riders into their underground journey. This use of natural light was an important design element to Heins amp LaFarge, but it had limited use. Sunlight was supplemented with incandescent singlebulb fixtures. As you will notice, some of these can still be seen today above and to the side of the name plaques.These faience plaques are, in a word, stunning. Here, Heins and Lafarge deviated from the dictate to develop designs that would be reused at other stations. The eight plaques in the Bleecker Street station are unique in their large size, oval shape, and spectacular cobalt blue color. Manufactured by Grueby Faience Company of Boston, they evoke a presence that no other station ceramics do. The green and blue ceramic surrounding the plaque are more typical of Heins amp LaFarges station design. The scrolls and rosette, while lovely, are elements that can be seen elsewhere in the system. Along the top of the wall are additional ceramic elements that can be seen in other stations. Cartouche plaques appear every fifteen feet. They are a matching blue with a white B and are similar to those that were designed for many other stations, including 110th, 116th, and Worth Streets. Why did Bleecker Street receive special ceramic treatment Were not positive, but the diary of William Barclay Parsons gives us a few hints. In July of 1902, Parsons instructed LaFarge to prepare plans for Bleecker Street as a type of commercial station. Parsons never spells out what he means by a commercial station but we can assume that he meant for the station to have large amounts of space available for advertisements. The area around Bleecker Street was already densely populated with businesses in 1904, and those businesses would want to grab the attention of subway riders. The debate over advertising in subway stations began even before the subway opened. August Belmont always intended for the stations to generate revenue through advertising, but he did not make that clear to the public or many of those working on subway construction. Parsons was unhappy with the decision, but came to his own version of a compromise. He told Belmont that he would be glad to urge a uniform system of advertising, provided posters were shut out. Parsons did not get his wish in the end posters in decorative frames appeared in the system almost immediately after it opened. Today, posters appear on the downtown platform in modern black frames.Bleecker Street was one of the stations on a press preview of the IRT almost eleven months before the subway opened to the public. According to the New York Sun, The Bleecker Street Station is practically finished. It is as spic and span as a model dairy, and as rich in dignified decoration as a Roman Bath. An involuntary cheer went up from the guests as these cars rolled up to the platforms.A century of water damage and steel dust from car wheels have taken a toll on the station. But there is good news on the horizon for Bleeker Street. Soon the station will undergo a massive renovation. The Heins amp LaFarge portion of the station will be returned to its original glory. Wherever possible, original finishes will be restored. New finishes will match the original. An additional link to the BroadwayLafayette IND station will be created by a 300 foot extension of the Bleeker Street uptown platform and opening the east mezzanine of BroadwayLafayette. The stations will also be made ADA accessible, an impressive modern addition to this historic station.
