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Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)
Encyclopedia
Prospect Park is an express station
on the BMT Brighton Line
of the New York City Subway
. Located at Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue
in Flatbush, Brooklyn
, near the border of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
, it is served by the Q
and Franklin Avenue Shuttle trains at all times and the B
train on weekdays.
s. Both platforms have red canopies with green frames and support columns that run for the either length. Alternating columns have the standard black station name plate in white lettering.
At the north end of the station, the two express tracks, used by the B and Q trains, ramp down into a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue parallel to the IRT Eastern Parkway Line
before merging with the BMT Fourth Avenue Line
at DeKalb Avenue while the local tracks curve to the northeast and become an open cut after a short tunnel towards Franklin Avenue. The platforms are split into two sections at this end separated by a beige concrete wall. The Franklin Avenue Shuttle terminates on the northbound local track while the southbound one is not normally used in revenue service.
South of the station, there are crossovers and switches as the Brighton Line becomes a four track line to Ocean Parkway
. B trains stay on the express track and run to Brighton Beach
while Q trains switch to the local track and run to Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue.
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. There is a bank of turnstile
s, a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions, and a token booth inside the station house, which it is shared with a private preschool. Each platform elevator
is connected to the station house by a glass-enclosed passageway above their respective platforms.
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. On the opposite side of this staircase in the mezzanine, there is an emergency exit that has a single staircase going up to an alleyway that leads to Saint Paul's Place.
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
.
.
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 when a train of elevated cars was wrecked on the then-new curve on what is now the unused southbound (O1) local track. The connection to the bridge and lines in Manhattan was completed on August 1, 1920, with four-track express service beginning south of this station.
Prospect Park 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.
This station was the site of an October 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.
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the BMT Brighton Line
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
. Located at Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush Avenue (Brooklyn)
Flatbush Avenue is one of the major avenues in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn. It runs from the Manhattan Bridge south-southeastward to Jamaica Bay, where it joins the Marine Parkway Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens...
in Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, near the border of Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
, it is served by the Q
Q (New York City Subway service)
The Q Broadway Express is a service of the New York City Subway. It is colored yellow on the route sign, on station signs and the official subway map, as it represents a service provided on the BMT Broadway Line through Manhattan....
and Franklin Avenue Shuttle trains at all times and the B
B (New York City Subway service)
The B Sixth Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs over the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....
train on weekdays.
Description
This open cut station has four tracks and two island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s. Both platforms have red canopies with green frames and support columns that run for the either length. Alternating columns have the standard black station name plate in white lettering.
At the north end of the station, the two express tracks, used by the B and Q trains, ramp down into a tunnel under Flatbush Avenue parallel to the IRT Eastern Parkway Line
IRT Eastern Parkway Line
IRT Eastern Parkway Line and New Lots Line can refer to:* IRT Eastern Parkway Line* IRT New Lots Line...
before merging with the BMT Fourth Avenue Line
BMT Fourth Avenue Line
The Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT division of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. Fourth Avenue never had a streetcar line or elevated railway due to the provisions of the assessment charged to neighboring property owners when the street...
at DeKalb Avenue while the local tracks curve to the northeast and become an open cut after a short tunnel towards Franklin Avenue. The platforms are split into two sections at this end separated by a beige concrete wall. The Franklin Avenue Shuttle terminates on the northbound local track while the southbound one is not normally used in revenue service.
South of the station, there are crossovers and switches as the Brighton Line becomes a four track line to Ocean Parkway
Ocean Parkway (BMT Brighton Line)
Ocean Parkway is an express station on the New York City Subway's BMT Brighton Line. Located at Brighton Beach Avenue and Ocean Parkway in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q train at all times.-Layout:...
. B trains stay on the express track and run to Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach (BMT Brighton Line)
Brighton Beach is an express/terminal station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located over Brighton Beach Avenue at Brighton Sixth Street in the community of Brighton Beach on Coney Island in Brooklyn.- Description:...
while Q trains switch to the local track and run to Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue.
The station has two entrances/exits. The full time one is at the extreme south end. A single double-wide staircase and ADA-accessible
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
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. There is a bank of turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s, a waiting area that allows a free transfer between directions, and a token booth inside the station house, which it is shared with a private preschool. Each platform elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
is connected to the station house by a glass-enclosed passageway above their respective platforms.
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
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
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. On the opposite side of this staircase in the mezzanine, there is an emergency exit that has a single staircase going up to an alleyway that leads to Saint Paul's Place.
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
Prospect Park
Prospect Park may refer to:* Prospect Park , a park in Brooklyn, New York, United States* Prospect Park , a park in Troy, New York, United States...
. This artwork is also at Parkside Avenue
Parkside Avenue (BMT Brighton Line)
Parkside Avenue is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q train at all times....
.
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 RoadLong Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
.
In 1918, the station began a rebuilding in order to accommodate the new subway connection to the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
and Montague Street Tunnel
Montague Street Tunnel
The Montague Street Tunnel carries the trains of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920 at 2 am with a holiday schedule, the same day as the 60th Street Tunnel. Regular service began...
. This rebuilding contributed to the Malbone Street Wreck
Malbone Street Wreck
The Malbone Street Wreck, also known as the Brighton Beach Line Accident of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company , was a rapid transit railroad accident that occurred November 1, 1918, beneath the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Malbone Street, in the community of Flatbush, Brooklyn...
on November 1 when a train of elevated cars was wrecked on the then-new curve on what is now the unused southbound (O1) local track. The connection to the bridge and lines in Manhattan was completed on August 1, 1920, with four-track express service beginning south of this station.
Prospect Park was the closest station to Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers until the team moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season
1957 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees ; Lew Burdette, MVP*All-Star Game, July 9 at Busch Stadium: American League, 6-5-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Marianao *College World Series: California...
. The stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
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.
This station was the site of an October 2008 NYPD arrest in which it was alleged that the suspect had been sodomized
NYPD subway sodomy incident
The NYPD subway sodomy incident refers to the circumstances surrounding the October 15, 2008, arrest of Michael Mineo by New York City Police Department officers. According to Mineo, the arresting police officers pinned him to the ground, while Richard Kern, one of the officers, pulled down...
, leading to both criminal action and a lawsuit against the NYPD. All of the officers involved were acquitted and the lawsuit thrown out.
External links
- nycsubway.org — Brighton Clay Re-Leaf Artwork by Susan Tunick (1994)
- Station Reporter — B Train
- Station Reporter — Q Train
- Station Reporter — Franklin Shuttle
- The Subway Nut — Prospect Park Pictures
- MTA's Arts For Transit — Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)
- Flatbush Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View