Imagine how much better your winter workday commute would be if your station had a potbelly stove—which you could wait beside in toasty comfort?
Train riders at this West Side station had that luxury, as seen in one of the wonderful photos taken by Berenice Abbott in the 1930s for her legendary book, Berenice Abbott’s New York.
The potbelly stove photo was captured on February 6, 1936. We know the exact date—but which train station is this?
Over the years, it’s been misidentified as a subway station. But it’s actually an above ground El station, per Abbott’s photo caption: “”El station Interior, Sixth and Ninth Avenue lines, downtown side, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, Manhattan.”
Tags: Berenice Abbott El Station 1936, Berenice Abbott's New York, El Station Columbus Ave, El Station Interior, El Station Manhattan, El Station Potbelly Stove, New York 1930s
January 13, 2020 at 6:26 am |
I’ve heard that the Third Avenue El stations had potbelly stoves too.
Peter
January 13, 2020 at 7:37 am |
I remember riding the El with my father and I remember the potbelly
stoves. We got on at 42nd street and off and Pearl St. He was a
printer and the printing businesses were in the Pearl/Fulton area.
January 13, 2020 at 10:46 am |
[…] Source: FS – NYC Real Estate A Manhattan train station had a potbelly stove […]
January 13, 2020 at 1:22 pm |
I can’t find my source, but I remember reading about the identity of the people in this photo. The man warming his hands at the stove was Noel Coward. The other man on the left was Lorenz Hart and the woman was Alice B.Toklas.
January 13, 2020 at 3:35 pm |
Really? I had no idea! They do look a little posh for El train riders.
January 16, 2020 at 2:57 pm
Absolutely see the resemblances! Which raises the question, what’s the back story of the photo…?
January 19, 2020 at 11:46 pm
I think you’re being teased. First, I’ve never heard of Berenice staging any of these photos, which she clearly meant as a sort of record. Second, no one else seems to know about this tantalizing morsel of celebrity trivia. Three, that woman does not look like Alice, who was famous for being stooped.
https://art.nelson-atkins.org/objects/49930/gertrude-stein-carl-van-vechten-and-alice-b-toklas-januar
January 20, 2020 at 4:46 am
All good points Bob. I’ve never come across any info about Berenice Abbott staging her photos either.
January 13, 2020 at 2:41 pm |
woman wearing what looks to be full length fur coat. it must have been cold indeed.
January 14, 2020 at 1:54 pm |
[…] your usual subway station is outdoors, the winters can be brutal. A century ago, the IRT provided potbelly stoves in stations for its riders to stay warm while waiting for the train. (Ephemeral New […]
January 16, 2020 at 2:49 pm |
Avenue X on the F train in Brooklyn still has an old rectangular, boxy heater only slightly less antiquated than this. I was just standing by it enjoying the warmth last week. In the waiting room one level below the platform of the elevated train. A gem!