Subway station art can be easy to miss when you’re anxiously pacing the platform wondering where the hell your late train is. But a lot of it is truly lovely—like this terra cotta mosaic depicting two trumpeting angels flanking an early 1900s train. It greets 2 and 3 train passengers at the Grand Army Plaza subway station.
Created by Jane Greengold in 1995, the mosaic is meant to evoke the triumphant angels on top of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch right outside the station.
It’s also an homage to the old IRT logo, which featured a subway train with angel wings. Check out these close-up images of the sculptures gracing Grand Army Plaza here.
Tags: Brooklyn subway stations, Grand Army Plaza, IRT train logo, mosaics in subway stations, MTA art, Prospect Park, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, subway station art, trumpeting angels
Ephemeral New York 
June 23, 2009 at 3:22 pm |
crikey that’s fabulous
June 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm |
Yeah, it’s neat. I think the MTA should bring back the winged train logo and slap it on modern subway cars.
June 25, 2009 at 3:34 pm |
I’m quoting a knowledgeable friend “Actually, it’s an R62 from the early/mid 80s. And the angels are flanking the train, not the other way around.”
June 25, 2009 at 6:03 pm |
ok, but it still should be brought back as the logo.
June 25, 2009 at 6:08 pm |
Definitely. And thanks for the train model input. But those wheels sure look wobbly for a 1980s train!
June 26, 2009 at 5:00 pm |
The best part is the title of the work: “The Irresistable Romance of Travel.”
December 30, 2020 at 7:29 pm |
The angels are flanking a more modern R-62 car, which replaced older cars on the IRT Aline’s staring after 1986