Myrtle Avenue (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)

Myrtle Avenue
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address Flatbush Avenue Extension & Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
Borough Brooklyn
Coordinates 40°41′37″N 73°59′00″W / 40.6937°N 73.9833°WCoordinates: 40°41′37″N 73°59′00″W / 40.6937°N 73.9833°W
Line BMT Fourth Avenue Line
Services None
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 5
Other information
Opened 1915
Closed 1956
Former/other names Gold Street
Station succession
Next north Canal Street (via Broadway Line)
Grand Street (via Sixth Avenue Line)
Next south DeKalb Avenue
The Masstransiscope artwork

Myrtle Avenue is an abandoned local station on the Manhattan Bridge subway tracks (B D N Q trains) south of the bridge in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The station was opened in 1915, and closed in 1956 for the reconstruction of the flying junction north of DeKalb Avenue to increase capacity for the entire BMT subway line.[1] The Brooklyn-bound platform was removed completely, but the Manhattan-bound platform still exists.[2]

This station was a casualty of the rebuild. A new track had to be added on the west side to allow for a grade-separated crossing. The original southbound "local" track at the platform had to be depressed to a lower grade to cross under, and the new track wiped out the southbound platform. The northbound platform was left in place but no longer operated for passenger service.

There was a plan to build a loop just north of this station to turn back Fourth Avenue local trains from 95th Street. The bellmouths for the un-built loop can be seen just north of this station where the bypass tracks join the bridge tracks that stop at DeKalb Avenue.

Myrtle Avenue station was sometimes called Gold Street in some early planning documents.[1]

In 1980 the Masstransiscope zoetrope artwork by Bill Brand was installed. After falling into a state of disrepair, graffiti was removed in 2008 and the artwork restored.[3] This artwork and the station can be seen by looking out the right window of Manhattan-bound B Q trains (and D trains during late nights when they stop at DeKalb Avenue) right before the bridge.[4] Masstransiscope was again covered by graffiti during the complete subway shutdown during Hurricane Sandy[5] and again restored after that.[6]

Station layout

G Street Level -
P
Former platform level
Side platform, not in service
Northbound local NYCS B NYCS Q (NYCS D NYCS N late nights) do not stop here
(No service: Grand Street (Sixth Avenue) or Canal Street (Broadway))
Northbound express NYCS D NYCS N do not stop here
Southbound express NYCS D does not stop here →
Southbound express NYCS N NYCS Q do not stop here →
Southbound local NYCS B NYCS Q (NYCS D NYCS N late nights) do not stop here →
(No service: DeKalb Avenue)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Joseph Brennan (2002). "Abandoned Stations : Myrtle Avenue". Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  2. "BMT Fourth Avenue Line - Myrtle Avenue". nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  3. Bill Brand. "Masstransiscope". Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  4. "Brooklyn Heights Subway track map". nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  5. The Newly Vandalized Masstransiscope
  6. Reinstalling Masstransiscope