Newkirk Plaza (BMT Brighton Line)

Newkirk Plaza
New York City Subway rapid transit station
300px
Station statistics
Address	Newkirk Avenue & East 16th Street Brooklyn, NY 11226
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Ditmas Park, Flatbush
Coordinates
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Brighton Line
Services	B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       Q  (all times)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: B8
Structure	Open-cut
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	original station: July 2, 1878 (July 2, 1878)
Rebuilt	current station: 1907 (1907)
Former/other names	South Midwood Newkirk Avenue
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	3,302,958  2.3%
Rank	155 out of 421
Station succession
Next north	Cortelyou Road (local): Q  Church Avenue (express): B
Next south	Avenue H (local): Q  Kings Highway (express): B
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays only

Newkirk Plaza is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway in Flatbush, Brooklyn, served by the Q train at all times and the B train on weekdays. It is located on an open-cut at the center of the pedestrian-only Newkirk Plaza shopping mall, which bounded by Newkirk Avenue on the north, Foster Avenue on the south, Marlborough Road to the west, and East 16th Street to the east.

History

The station opened around 1900 as a two-track surface station named South Midwood, a reference to its location at the southern end of the former Town of Flatbush, which was also historically known as Midwood. Currently, Midwood is considered to be the area south of where the station now stands, so it would now more correctly be described as being in South Flatbush or North Midwood.

When on the surface, the station was a division point at which short turned elevated trains of the Fulton Street El terminated. After grade crossings were eliminated in 1908 the station became a through stop for all services; at this time it was given the name Newkirk Avenue. The station was renamed Newkirk Plaza in August 2011.

On the eastern side of the station entrance building there is a plaque which reads "The Depression and Elevation of this railroad to abolish grade crossings was authorized by the Legislature May 9th, 1903. A joint undertaking between the City Of New York and the Brooklyn Heights R.R. Co. under the direction of the Brooklyn Grade Crossing Commission. ..... Work commenced August 1st 1904 - Completed July 1st 1908".

Station layout

G	Street Level	Entrances/Exits
	Station house	to entrances/exits, station agent, MetroCard vending machines, pedestrian crossover
	Newkirk Plaza	Shops (above platforms)
P Platform level	Northbound local	← toward Astoria – Ditmars Boulevard weekdays, 57th Street – Seventh Avenue weekends (Cortelyou Road)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains
	Northbound express	← toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours, 145th Street weekdays (Church Avenue)
	Southbound express	→ toward Brighton Beach weekdays (Kings Highway) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left for local trains, right for express trains
	Southbound local	→ toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue (Avenue H) →

This open-cut station has four tracks and two island platforms. The Manhattan-bound local track is completely underneath the east side of the mall while the Coney Island-bound one is underneath the west side of the mall except for a section at the north end. The express tracks are in open view except in the center (where the station's only entrance is) and at either ends (where the Newkirk and Foster Avenues overpasses are).

The station and above-ground shopping plaza underwent reconstruction from 2009 to 2011. This included installation of yellow warning strips on the platform edges and repainting of the columns from red to green.

Entrance and exit

The station's only entrance and exit is a station house at the center of the plaza. It has a token booth, turnstile bank, and a staircase leading to a short landing above both platforms that separate into two staircases facing the opposite directions going down to the platforms themselves. The station house was renovated in 1988, which included installation of white tiles and a stained-glass artwork titled Transit Skylight by David Wilson.

The station house is located on Newkirk Avenue's south side between East 15th and East 16th Streets.

In popular culture

This station appeared in the Futurama episode "The Luck of the Fryrish" and was portrayed as being in Fry's old neighborhood of Ditmas Park, considering his old home is a detached albeit run-down Victorian house. It also appeared in the films Next Stop, Greenwich Village, and Man Push Cart.

Gallery

• Newkirkplazajeh.JPG

  Newkirk Plaza and station before the renaming

• B train arriving at Newkirk ave station.jpg

  R68A B train arriving at the station

• Newkirk Plaza sign.jpg

  New sign and green columns after renovation

External links

• nycsubway.org—BMT Brighton Line: Newkirk Avenue
• Station Reporter — B Train
• Station Reporter — Q Train
• MTA's Arts For Transit — Newkirk Plaza (BMT Brighton Line)
• The Subway Nut — Newkirk Plaza Pictures
• globe lamps on Newkirk Avenue from Google Maps Street View
• globe lamps on Foster Avenue from Google Maps Street View