The Spring Street station is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Spring Street in SoHo and Little Italy, Manhattan, it is served by trains at all times, <6> trains during weekdays in the peak direction, and trains during late night hours.

The Spring Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes the Spring Street station started on September 12 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The station's platforms were lengthened in the late 1950s.

The Spring Street station contains two side platforms and four tracks; express trains use the inner two tracks to bypass the station. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations, which are continued along the platform extensions. The station contains exits to Spring Street at the center of each platform. The platforms are not connected to each other within fare control.

History

Construction and opening

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864. The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx. A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and legal challenges were resolved near the end of 1899. in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. By early 1902, the adjacent tunnel had been completed, and the buildings on either side of Lafayette Street (then known as Elm Street) were being underpinned in anticipation of the construction of the subway station itself. The stretch of Elm Street north of Spring Street was being repaved by that September, after the tunnel was completed. The Rapid Transit Commission had yet to pay McDonald for his work by January 1903, in part because sewage lines on the west side of Elm Street had not been completed.

By late 1903, the subway was nearly complete, but the IRT Powerhouse and the system's electrical substations were still under construction, delaying the system's opening. The Spring Street station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.

Service changes and station renovations

1900s to 1930s

thumb|View of the transition between the original platform section and the platform extension

After the initial system was completed in 1908, the station was served by local trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now the Lenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street).

In 1909, to address overcrowding, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway. As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $ million in ) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent. Platforms at local stations, such as the Spring Street station, were lengthened by between . The northbound platform was extended to the south.

In December 1922, the Transit Commission approved a $3 million project to lengthen platforms at 14 local stations along the original IRT line, including Spring Street and seven other stations on the Lexington Avenue Line. Platform lengths at these stations would be increased from . The commission postponed the platform-lengthening project in September 1923, at which point the cost had risen to $5.6 million. The commission again considered lengthening the IRT platforms at Spring Street in December 1927. At the end of the month, the Transit Commission requested that the IRT create plans to lengthen the platforms at Bleecker Street and three other Lexington Avenue Line stations to . The New York City Board of Transportation drew up plans for the project, The commission approved the plans in mid-1929; the Spring Street station's southbound platform was to be extended to the south, while the northbound platform was to be extended south. The IRT refused, claiming that the city government was responsible for the work, and obtained a federal injunction to prevent the commission from forcing the IRT to lengthen the platforms. In late 1930, the commission requested that the New York Supreme Court force the IRT to lengthen platforms at the Canal Street and Spring Street stations.

1940s to present

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940. In late 1959, contracts were awarded to extend the platforms at , , , , Spring Street, , , , , and to . In April 1960, work began on a $3,509,000 project (equivalent to $ million in ) to lengthen platforms at seven of these stations to accommodate ten-car trains. The northbound platforms at Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street, and Astor Place were lengthened from ; the platform extensions at these stations opened on February 19, 1962.

The station was renovated in the late 1980s. After a mosaic panel fell off the wall during 1988, the renovation was temporarily halted.

Station layout

thumb|Stairs to downtown platform

thumb|200px|View of an entrance to the uptown platform.

Like other local stations, Spring Street has four tracks and two side platforms. The 6 stops here at all times, rush-hour and midday <6> trains stop here in the peak direction; The two express tracks are used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours. The station is between to the north and to the south. The platforms were originally long, like at other local stations on the original IRT,

Spring Street had a fifth center track at the time of its opening. The track was intended as a storage siding and was long. There is a gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of -thick brick covered over by a tiled finish. The entrance to the southwestern corner is located within the building line at 225 Lafayette Street,

This station is featured in the 2008 film Cloverfield. The scene was not filmed there, however. The station is featured in the season 3 episode, "Lo-Fi", in the television show Criminal Minds.

References

Further reading

  • Station Reporter — 4 train
  • Station Reporter — 6 Train
  • Forgotten NY — Original 28 – NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
  • Spring Street uptown entrance from Google Maps Street View
  • Spring Street downtown entrance from Google Maps Street View
  • Platforms from Google Maps Street View