Avenue H (BMT Brighton Line)

Avenue H
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address	Avenue H & East 16th Street Brooklyn, NY 11230
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Midwood, Flatbush, Fiske Terrace
Coordinates	40°37′48″N 73°57′43″W / 40.630003°N 73.962016°W / 40.630003; -73.962016Coordinates: 40°37′48″N 73°57′43″W / 40.630003°N 73.962016°W / 40.630003; -73.962016
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Brighton Line
Services	Q  (all times)
Structure	Embankment
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	1907 (1907)
Station code	048[1]
Accessible	ADA-accessible (southbound only)
Former/other names	Fiske Terrace
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	952,855[2]  5.9%
Rank	367 out of 422
Station succession
Next north	Newkirk Plaza: Q
Next south	Avenue J: Q
Next north	station not accessible northbound Previous accessible station southbound: Prospect Park: Q
Next south	Kings Highway: Q
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York Show map of the US
New York City Landmark
Designated	June 29, 2004 [3]
Reference no.	LP-2158

Avenue H is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Avenue H between East 15th and East 16th Streets on the border of Midwood and Flatbush, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q train at all times.^[4]

Station layout

Track layout
to Newkirk Plz to Av J

P Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound local	← toward 96th Street (Newkirk Plaza)
	Northbound express	← does not stop here
	Southbound express	→ does not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (Avenue J) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
G	Street Level	Entrances/Exits
	Station house	to entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard vending machines (Ramp on north side of Avenue H and East 15th Street for southbound trains only)

The Avenue H station is laid out in a typical local stop setup.^[5] There are four tracks and two side platforms. The center two tracks are the express tracks used by the B train on weekdays.^[5][6] The 620 feet (190 m)-long platform accommodates full-length trains typically composed of eight 75 feet (23 m) cars, nine 67 feet (20 m) cars, or ten 60 feet (18 m) cars. The station is located at a transitional point on the right-of-way. North of the station, the roadbed ramps down to an open-cut. South of the station, the line is on a raised earthen embankment. This is the result of an increase of grade on the line in the early 1900s which then allowed it to pass over (rather than under, as before) the newly depressed grade of the Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge Branch and the nearby Manhattan Beach Junction station. The station platform lies over this crossing which exists between Avenues H and I.

Due to the change in elevation, the north end of this station is slightly above ground level and as a result, road traffic on Avenue H dead-ends on both sides of the line. However, there is a pedestrian tunnel underneath the embankment that connects the sidewalk on both sides.

The southbound (Coney Island-bound) local track is technically known as A1 while the northbound (Manhattan-bound) one is A2; the "A" designation is used for chaining purposes along the Brighton Line from the Manhattan Bridge to Coney Island. Although they cannot be accessed at Avenue H, the southbound and northbound express tracks are known as A3 and A4, respectively.^[6]

Landmarked station house

Avenue H station house

The station was opened around 1900 as Fiske Terrace, a two-track surface station serving the new planned community of Fiske Terrace in Midwood. The station house, or headhouse, through which the station is entered, is a landmarked wood frame structure built in 1905 as a real estate office of the T.B. Ackerson Company to sell homes in the new community. It was converted to railroad use in 1907, at the same time that the station was renamed "Avenue H."

In 2003, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced plans to demolish the structure, citing its wood construction as a fire hazard. The community intervened, emphasizing the building's historic importance, architectural significance, connecting to the adjacent community and the fact that several other wooden station houses on the subway system had been given landmark status earlier.

On June 29, 2004, the station house was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. This allows renovations inside, but preserves the major structure and exterior. The contract to "restore the landmark station control house" as well as rehabilitation of the platforms and other stations structures was advertised for bids by the MTA for January 2007.

The official designation report describes the building:

Reconstruction

The passageway underneath the tracks at Avenue H

This station underwent reconstruction from September 2009 to December 2011. Both platforms were rebuilt with new edges, windscreens, and canopies. An additional unstaffed station house on the extreme north end of the Coney Island-bound platform was added on what was once marshland. The new station house included an ADA-accessible ramp. The landmarked station house was also renovated, and several turnstiles were added to the station.^[8][9]

Exits

Both of the station's entrances are at the north end of the station. The station's main entrance is the landmarked station house on the east side of the tracks, on the south side of Avenue H. There are turnstiles and a full-time booth in the station house. There is also a HEET adjacent to the station house, from which a stair leads to the northbound platform, and an underpass leads to a single staircase to the Coney Island-bound platform.^[10] Access to these stairs is also available via turnstiles in the underpass. There is an exit-only turnstile on either side of the underpass.^[10]

The ADA-accessible ramp and a stair leads to the unstaffed brick station house on the west side of the tracks. The ramp wraps around the station house to adjust for the height difference between the station house and ground level. This station house contains a bank of regular and High Entry/Exit Turnstiles as well as a part-time booth.^[10]

Nearby points of interest

• Brooklyn College^[10]
• Midwood High School^[10]

See also

• Manhattan Beach Branch
• Bay Ridge Branch

References

Notes

Further reading

• The Little Station in the Woods — Historical article about the station before it was landmarked.
• Avenue H: Brooklyn Communities Save Their Landmark Station House

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avenue H (BMT Brighton Line).

• nycsubway.org – BMT Brighton Line: Avenue H
• Station Reporter — Q Train
• Subway.com.ru — Photos of: BMT Brighton Line: Avenue H
• Art's Archives — Manhattan Beach Branch (Original photographs of the Avenue H station, signal houses and nearby Manhattan Beach Junction LIRR station)
• The Subway Nut — Avenue H Pictures
• Northbound station house from Google Maps Street View
• Southbound station house and underpass from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View

New York City Subway stations, by service
	96th Street 86th Street 72nd Street Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 49th Street* Times Square–42nd Street 34th Street–Herald Square 28th Street* 23rd Street* 14th Street Eighth Street–New York University* Prince Street* Canal Street Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Seventh Avenue Prospect Park Parkside Avenue Church Avenue Beverley Road Cortelyou Road Newkirk Plaza Avenue H Avenue J Avenue M Kings Highway Avenue U Neck Road Sheepshead Bay Brighton Beach Ocean Parkway West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Note: Temporary reroutes on the 2, 5, and M trains are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks are served by that service during off-peak hours only. See linked articles for more information.