The restored vintage terra cotta subway signs that greet you at Coney Island

Coney Island’s arching Stillwell Terminal, on Surf and Stillwell Avenues minutes from the boardwalk, makes for an impressive subway station.

Originally opened in 1919 and renovated in the early 2000s, this partly solar-powered structure is the largest above-ground station in New York City and the biggest rapid-transit station in the world, per the MTA. Thousands of beach-goers walk through its steel truss design to arrive and depart via four different train lines.

But what catches my eye is the old-school tiling and signage above the entrance, which looks like it dates back to the station’s early days more than a century ago.

On a green terra cotta plate in white and (very faded) red letters are BMT—for the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation, which ran several train lines terminating here until selling them to the city in 1940.

Surrounding the plates are subway tiles, a row of which are decorated like clovers with a few rosette designs higher up. Two additional green plates read “BMT Lines.”

Are all of these vintage-looking signs original? I can’t confirm, though an MTA press release from 2014 mentions the “distinctive green, white and red BMT Lines sign,” and that the new construction “also included a new portal building with the restored BMT terra cotta façade.”

Coney Island is rich with iconic old signs, from Nathan’s with the neon hotdog to the thrilling pink capital letters of the Wonder Wheel. What a treat to see that this fabled seaside destination still has the subway signage harkening back to its early 20th century heyday.

[Third image: David Shankbone/Wikipedia]

Tags: Old Subway Signs NYC, Stillwell Avenue Subway Signs, Stillwell Avenue Subway Station Tiles, Terra Cotta BMT Sign Stillwell Avenue, Vintage Subway Signage Brooklyn, Vintage Subway Signage Stillwell Avenue