Summary: Today, the Atlantic Avenue subway station rivals Times Square in size and complexity. And like Times Square, Atlantic Avenue was a very different station when it first opened. In 1908 Atlantic Avenue opened as one of the first four stations in Brooklyn. The others were Borough Hall, Hoyt Street, and Nevins Street. All of these were designed by the firm Heins amp LaFarge, who also designed the first stations that opened in 1904.The original station is the space that now serves the number 2 and 3 lines, with the eastern side open to the MTA Long Island Rail Road terminal. The 4 and 5 trains run through the center of this area. The platforms were built to be 530 feet long, but very quickly, demand made it necessary to expand. In the teens, a 135foot platform extension was added. Today, the subway and LIRR stations share the same fare control area and street entrances.The ceramics at the Brooklyn bound platform of the Atlantic Avenue station are a mix of historic elements, and elements from contemporary renovations. Which were designed by Heins amp LaFarge Look towards the top of any wall and youll see. A few original yellow and green cartouches containing the letter A flanked by tulips dot the station. Do these look familiar If youve traveled through many of the original subway stations, it will. The same design can be seen at the Spring, Bleecker, and 110th Street stations in Manhattan. Why repeat designs at seemingly unrelated stations The answer is simple and timeless a tight budget. Heins amp LaFarge were constantly being urged to reduce the expense of stations, and they did so by producing identical ceramics using reusable plaster molds. For example, the top scrolls and main body of the cartouches were made from the same mold as those for other IRT stations. Only the station identification in the center and glaze colors are different. Fabricating the plaques in sections was less expensive and had additional benefits smaller and lighter pieces dried faster, were easier to install, and not likely to warp.These ceramics were made by Atlantic Terra Cotta Company, the largest producer of architectural terra cotta in the world in the early 1900s. With four plants two in New Jersey, one in Staten Island, and one in Georgia the company manufactured largescale orders for many famous skyscrapers, including the Flatiron and Woolworth Buildings. When the station was expanded in the teens, the architects didnt replicate the original cartouches, but they used them as inspiration. The 1910 construction contract mandated that the new ceramics harmonize with the station of which it is to form a part. On the Brooklyn bound 23 platform, the same A and tulip design is produced in mosaic tiles. Unlike the original ceramics, these mosaics are flat, making them easier to keep clean.Despite its name, the subway is not completely below ground. While most early stations had ornate castiron and glass entry and exit kiosks, superstructures today called control houses were built at five stations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn here at Atlantic Avenue. These buildings allowed Heins amp LaFarge the opportunity to design a full, though tiny, building. The inspiration for the control houses might have been one found in the Boston subway, which New York subway designers visited in 1901. To see the Atlantic Avenue control house, take the LIRR exit and head towards Hanson Place. At the intersection of Atlantic, Flatbush, and 4th Avenues, sits the original control house. The 50 x 37 foot BeauxArts building of Roman brick and limestone structure sits demurely on a granite base, surrounded by the busy Brooklyn streets. The colorful terra cotta cartouche and gabled roof stands in great contrast to the modern architecture and heavy traffic surrounding the building. Though the building is no longer used as a station entrance, it stands as a reminder to the subway and Brooklyn of last century. And the pigeons seem to really enjoy it, tooToday, just as when it opened, Atlantic Avenue is a busy transportation hub. From 19081920, it was the furthest subway station in Brooklyn. Beyond this station, travelers had to rely on trolley cars or their own feet to get deeper into the borough.
