Berenice Abbott took this February 6, 1936 photograph of subway riders warming up in the El station at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. El tracks lined Columbus from 1879 to 1940.
The paneled windows, wooden turnstiles, and decorative border along the interior wall are some rather old-fashioned touches for a public train station. And when was the last time you saw a pot-bellied stove in the subway? Gives the photo quite a homey feel.
Tags: 72nd Street El Station, Berenice Abbott, Columbus Avenue, Columbus Avenue El, Elevated tracks, Ninth Avenue El, wooden subway turnstiles
Ephemeral New York 
February 20, 2009 at 5:02 am |
I grew up living 1/2 block away from an elevated train station in Queens. This photo brings back memories from when I was a little girl. Not in the 30’s, but in the 70’s. Things didn’t change much on that station, but pity we never had a stove there then. Just an electric heater. Interesting to note that sour faces were all the rage back then as well.
Maureen
February 26, 2009 at 2:08 pm |
I seem to recall one in the Avenue U or the Gravesend Neck Road station (East 16th Street) on what’s now the Q line in the 60’s. (When I was a kid we used both stations so I’m not sure which.
December 10, 2012 at 7:07 am |
[…] belly stoves like that really existed in el stations, as this 1936 Berenice Abbott photo reveals. Looks warm and toasty, unlike most subway platforms in the […]
July 31, 2017 at 7:07 am |
[…] you’ve never imagined New York as a concrete canyon, this 1935 photo by Berenice Abbott just might change your […]
November 27, 2019 at 2:48 am |
I Don’t see any homeless people lying on the ground or turn style jumpers in this photo!