View source for Astor Place station

{{Short description|New York City Subway station in Manhattan}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NYCS
| name = Astor Place
| former = Astor Place–Cooper Union<br />Cooper Union
| image = IRT Lexington Astor Place.jpg
| image_caption = Southbound platform
| address = [[Astor Place]] &amp; [[Lafayette Street]]<br />New York, New York
| borough = [[Manhattan]]
| locale = [[NoHo, Manhattan|NoHo]] / [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|43|47|N|73|59|30|W|display=inline,title}}
| division = IRT
| line = [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]]
| service = Lexington local
| service_header = Lexington local header
| other = {{bus icon}} [[NYCT Bus]]: {{NYC bus link|M1|M2|M3|M8}}
| platforms = 2 [[side platform]]s
| tracks = 4
| structure = Underground
| accessible = 
| acc_note = 
| opened = {{start date and age|1904|10|27|p=yes}}<ref name="145th">{{Cite news|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/28/118948832.html|title=Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It; Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train.|date=October 28, 1904|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 21, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|page=1|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213201856/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/10/28/118948832.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=New York City Subway
|line1=Lexington local|left1=14th Street–Union Square|right1=Bleecker Street|note-left1={{NYCS Lexington local|time=1}}|note-right1={{NYCS Lexington local|time=1}}
|note-row2={{Rail-interchange|nycs|5}} does not stop here}}
| footnotes = {{NYCS infobox legend|alltimes}}{{NYCS infobox legend|nightsonly}}{{NYCS infobox legend|rushpeak}}
| route_map = {{NYCS 4-tracked local station
|1 = 14th Street–Union Square
|2 = Bleecker Street
|code = IRT Lexington Avenue Line
|inline = y
|deg = 345
|rows = 2
|extra1 =
c\ubvvvSTR\cPLT
c\ubvvvSTR\cPLT
|extra2 =
cPLT\ubvvvSTR\c
cPLT\ubvvvSTR\c
}}
| embedded = <hr>{{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Astor Place Subway Station (IRT)
| added = September 17, 2004
| mpsub = New York City Subway System MPS
| refnum = 04001013<ref name="focus"/>
| designated_other2 = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date = October 23, 1979<ref name="NYCL-1096"/>
| designated_other2_number = 1096
| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL
| designated_other2_color = #FFE978
}}
}}

The '''Astor Place station''' (signed as '''Astor Place–Cooper Union''') is a local station on the [[IRT Lexington Avenue Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]]. Located at [[Fourth Avenue (Manhattan)|Fourth Avenue]], [[Cooper Square]], and [[Astor Place]] between the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]] and [[NoHo, Manhattan|NoHo]], it is served by {{NYCS|6}} trains at all times, [[6d (New York City Subway service)|&lt;6&gt;]] trains during weekdays in the peak direction, and {{NYCS|4}} trains during late night hours.

The Astor Place station was constructed for the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT) as part of the [[Early history of the IRT subway|city's first subway line]], which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes the Astor Place station started on September 12 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The station's platforms were lengthened in the late 1950s, and the station was renovated in the mid-1980s.

The Astor Place station contains two [[side platform]]s and four tracks; express trains use the inner two tracks to bypass the station. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations. The platforms contain exits to Astor Place and are not connected to each other within [[fare control]]. The original station interior is a [[New York City designated landmark]] and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

== History ==
=== Construction and opening ===
Planning for a [[rapid transit|subway]] line in New York City dates to 1864.<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|21}} However, development of what would become the [[Early history of the IRT subway|city's first subway line]] did not start until 1894, when the [[New York State Legislature]] passed the Rapid Transit Act.<ref name="Walker 1918">{{cite book|last1=Walker|first1=James Blaine|url=https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsrapid00walkgoog|title=Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917|date=1918|publisher=Law Printing|location=New York, N.Y.|access-date=November 6, 2016}}</ref>{{Rp|139–140}} The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by [[William Barclay Parsons]], the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from [[New York City Hall]] in [[lower Manhattan]] to the [[Upper West Side]], where two branches would lead north into [[the Bronx]].<ref name="NYCL-1096">{{cite web|date=October 23, 1979|title=Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior|url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf|access-date=November 19, 2019|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921135400/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1096.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|3}} A plan was formally adopted in 1897,<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|148}} and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near the end of 1899.<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|161}} The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by [[John B. McDonald]] and funded by [[August Belmont Jr.]], signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,<ref name="Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners 1905">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924022794253/page/n253/mode/2up?q=april+28|title=Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor|publisher=Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners|year=1905|pages=229–236}}</ref> in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|165}} In 1901, the firm of [[Heins & LaFarge]] was hired to design the underground stations.<ref name="NYCL-1096" />{{Rp|4}} Belmont incorporated the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|182}}

The Astor Place station was constructed as part of the route segment from [[Great Jones Street]] to 41st Street. Construction on this section of the line began on September 12, 1900. The section from Great Jones Street to a point 100 feet (30 m) north of 33rd Street was awarded to Holbrook, Cabot & Daly Contracting Company.<ref name="Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners 1905" /> In the vicinity of the Astor Place station, the subway was to run under [[Lafayette Street]],<ref name=nyt20100617/><ref name="NYCL-2039"/>{{rp|17}} a new thoroughfare constructed between 1897<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hanly|first=Thomas B.|date=November 7, 1897|title=Elm Street Past and Present|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/11/07/102545563.pdf|page=32|access-date=February 2, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504020500/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/11/07/102545563.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and 1905.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 26, 1905|title=Elm Street Off the Map|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/04/26/101412542.pdf|page=1|access-date=February 2, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504020500/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/04/26/101412542.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> This involved widening, connecting, and renaming two formerly unconnected streets: Elm Street, which ran south of [[Houston Street]], and Lafayette Place, which ran north of Great Jones Street to an intersection with [[Astor Place]].<ref name=nyt20100617>{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=June 17, 2010|title=Along Lafayette Street, Some Very Odd Lots|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/realestate/20scapes.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 2, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209061457/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/realestate/20scapes.html}}</ref><ref name="NYCL-2039">{{cite web|last=Presa|first=Donald G.|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2039.pdf|title=NoHo Historic District|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|date=June 29, 1999|access-date=February 2, 2021|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208152032/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2039.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|17–18}}<ref>{{cite streetbook|page=67}}</ref> The southward extension of Lafayette Street and the construction of the subway required the demolition or underpinning of several buildings in the street's path. This resulted in the creation of narrow [[land lot]]s on either side of Lafayette Street between Houston and Great Jones Streets, slightly south of the Astor Place station's site.<ref name=nyt20100617/><ref name="NYCL-2039"/>{{rp|18}} By late 1903, the subway was nearly complete, but the [[IRT Powerhouse]] and the system's [[electrical substation]]s were still under construction, delaying the system's opening.<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|186}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=1903-11-14 |title=First of Subway Tests; West Side Experimental Trains to be Run by Jan. 1 Broadway Tunnel Tracks Laid, Except on Three Little Sections, to 104th Street -- Power House Delays. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/11/14/archives/first-of-subway-tests-west-side-experimental-trains-to-be-run-by.html |access-date=2022-05-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As late as October 26, 1904, the day before the subway was scheduled to open, the wall on the southbound platform next to the [[Wanamaker's]] store was incomplete.<ref name=nyt-1904-10-26>{{Cite news|date=1904-10-26|title=Clamor for Tickets for Subway Opening; Distribution Plan Criticised by Engineers and Many Others.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/10/26/archives/clamor-for-tickets-for-subway-opening-distribution-plan-criticised.html|access-date=2023-05-25|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The Astor Place station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from [[City Hall (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|City Hall]] to [[145th Street (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)|145th Street]]  on the [[IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line|Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line]].<ref name="Walker 1918" />{{Rp|186}}<ref name="145th" /> The opening of the first subway line, and particularly the Astor Place station, helped contribute to more development in the [[East Village, Manhattan|East Village]]; while the neighborhood was already densely populated at the time, the new subway provided connections to other parts of the city.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|10}} After the first subway line was completed in 1908,<ref name="242nd">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/08/02/archives/our-first-subway-completed-at-last-opening-of-the-van-cortlandt.html|title=Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now|date=August 2, 1908|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=November 6, 2016|page=10|archive-date=December 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223112020/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/08/02/archives/our-first-subway-completed-at-last-opening-of-the-van-cortlandt.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the station was served by local trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to [[Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street station|Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street]]) and East Side (now the [[IRT Lenox Avenue Line|Lenox Avenue Line]]). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and [[South Ferry (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|South Ferry]] at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to [[145th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)|Lenox Avenue (145th Street)]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151|title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac|publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|year=1916|pages=119|last1=Herries|first1=William|access-date=December 24, 2020|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511155639/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081730503;view=1up;seq=151|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Service changes and station renovations ===

==== 1900s to 1930s ====
[[File:Astor Place 3 vc.jpg|thumb|left|Columns with alternating ''Astor Place'' and ''Cooper Union'' sign plates]]
Plans for the [[Hudson and Manhattan Railroad]] (H&M; now [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]]), devised in the first decade of the 20th century, included a [[branch line|spur]] from the [[Uptown Hudson Tubes]] along Ninth Street to the Astor Place station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_6282382_000/ldpd_6282382_000.pdf|title=Map of Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Hudson Tunnel System|date=December 31, 1912|website=columbia.edu|publisher=Hudson & Manhattan Railroad|access-date=September 5, 2016|archive-date=October 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005025024/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/cul/texts/ldpd_6282382_000/ldpd_6282382_000.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, the Uptown Tubes between [[New Jersey]] and Manhattan had been under construction intermittently since 1874.<ref name="cudahy">{{Cite Cudahy-Hudson}}</ref>{{rp|14–15}} By 1904, [[William Gibbs McAdoo]] was given the rights to complete the Uptown Tubes. As part of the plan, he would retain perpetual rights to build and operate an east–west crosstown line under [[Christopher Street]] and [[Ninth Street (Manhattan)|Ninth Street]] eastward to either [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]] or [[Astor Place]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/12/16/archives/madoo-subway-wins-fight-for-franchise-crosstown-line-perpetual-25.html|title=M'Adoo Subway Wins Fight For Franchise; Crosstown Line Perpetual – 25 Years Under Sixth Avenue.|date=December 16, 1904|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424211046/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/12/16/archives/madoo-subway-wins-fight-for-franchise-crosstown-line-perpetual-25.html|archive-date=April 24, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cudahy" />{{rp|22}} with no intermediate stops.<ref name="Tribeca Trib 2018">{{cite web|first=Bernard|last=D'Orazio|title=In 1874, a Daring Downtown Plan: Build a Train Tunnel Under the Hudson|website=Tribeca Trib Online|date=April 23, 2018|url=http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/1874-daring-downtown-plan-build-train-tunnel-under-hudson|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503041431/http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/1874-daring-downtown-plan-build-train-tunnel-under-hudson|archive-date=May 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the Uptown Tubes opened to [[33rd Street (PATH station)|33rd Street]] in 1908,<ref>{{cite web|title=Trolley Tunnel Open to Jersey; President Turns On Power for First Official Train Between This City and Hoboken|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=February 26, 1908|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/02/26/archives/trolley-tunnel-open-to-jersey-president-turns-on-power-for-first.html|access-date=April 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425040558/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/02/26/archives/trolley-tunnel-open-to-jersey-president-turns-on-power-for-first.html|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cudahy"/>{{rp|21}} work on the Ninth Street spur stalled. By 1914, the Rapid Transit Commissioners had determined that the spur was unlikely to be built soon, so permission to build the Ninth Street tunnel was denied.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/04/09/archives/madoos-railroad-slow-in-building-two-months-more-time-given-for.html|title=M'Adoo's Railroad Slow In Building; Two Months More Time Given for Extension to Grand Central.|date=April 9, 1914|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075919/https://www.nytimes.com/1914/04/09/archives/madoos-railroad-slow-in-building-two-months-more-time-given-for.html|archive-date=April 26, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the [[New York Public Service Commission]] proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.<ref name="HAER Impact">{{cite web|last=Hood|first=Clifton|date=1978|title=The Impact of the IRT in New York City|url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|access-date=December 20, 2020|publisher=Historic American Engineering Record|pages=146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208) |archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|url-status=live}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{Rp|168}} As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{inflation|fmt=c|index=US|value=1.5|start_year=1910|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|index=US}}) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to ${{inflation|fmt=c|index=US|value=0.5|start_year=1910|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|index=US}}) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25&nbsp;percent.<ref name="Report 1911">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596|title=Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910|date=1911|publisher=Public Service Commission|language=en|access-date=January 7, 2021|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120015525/https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=%20zoological%20station&pg=PA596|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|15}} The northbound platform at the Astor Place station was extended {{convert|10|ft}} in either direction,<ref name="Report 1911"/>{{rp|107}} while the southbound platform was not lengthened.<ref name="Report 1911"/>{{rp|106}} Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910.<ref name="HAER Impact" />{{Rp|168}} The Lexington Avenue Line opened north of [[Grand Central–42nd Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|Grand Central–42nd Street]] in 1918, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. All local trains were sent via the Lexington Avenue Line, running along the [[IRT Pelham Line|Pelham Line]] in [[the Bronx]].<ref>{{cite news|date=August 2, 1918|title=Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph — Great H System Put in Operation Marks an Era in Railroad Construction — No Hitch in the Plans — But Public Gropes Blindly to Find the Way in Maze of New Stations — Thousands Go Astray — Leaders in City's Life Hail Accomplishment of Great Task at Meeting at the Astor|page=1|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/08/02/97011929.pdf|access-date=November 6, 2016|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221065215/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/08/02/97011929.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 1922, the Transit Commission approved a $3&nbsp;million project to lengthen platforms at 14 local stations along the original IRT line, including Astor Place and seven other stations on the Lexington Avenue Line. Platform lengths at these stations would be increased from {{convert|225|to|436|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 17, 1922 |title=33d Street to Be I.R.T. Express Stop; Reconstruction One of Many Station Improvements Ordered by Commission. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/12/17/archives/33d-street-to-be-irt-express-stop-reconstruction-one-of-many.html |access-date=June 21, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p576721174">{{cite news |date=December 18, 1922 |title=$4,000,000 in Construction on I. R. T. Ordered: 33d St. on East Side Subway Will Be Express Stop; Local Stations to Have 10-Car Train Capacity Aim to Speed Service Improvements Will Relieve Congestion Along Both Routes. Board Believes |page=22 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|573974563}}}}</ref> The commission postponed the platform-lengthening project in September 1923, at which point the cost had risen to $5.6&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1923-09-07|title=Express Stop Plan Opposed by I.R.T.; Officials Say Money Is Not Available for Change at 33d Street Station.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/09/07/archives/express-stop-plan-opposed-by-irt-officials-say-money-is-not.html|access-date=2022-06-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=p1237290874>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|1237290874}} |title=I. R. T. Wins Delay At Subway Platform Extension Hearing: Transit Commission Head Tells Meeting Widening West Side Stations Would Increase Capacity 25 P. C |date=7 Sep 1923 |page=6 |work=New-York Tribune}}</ref>

==== 1940s to 1960s ====
The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1940-06-13 |title=City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html |access-date=2022-05-14 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107193115/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/13/archives/city-transit-unity-is-now-a-reality-title-to-irt-lines-passes-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1248134780">{{cite news |date=June 13, 1940 |title=Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1248134780}}}}</ref> After the closure of the Wanamaker's department store in 1954, the northern building of the two-building complex was sold off and demolished. In July 1956, a fire gutted the building while it was being destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 15, 1956|title=Wanamaker's Fire|url=https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/NYJAdc/ItemDetails.cfm?id=1027|access-date=March 5, 2020|website=norman.hrc.utexas.edu|publisher=[[New York Journal-American]]|via=[[Harry Ransom Center]] at [[University of Texas at Austin]]|quote=Wanamaker's Fire : The scene on the streets as firemen and firetrucks battle the 25-hour long blaze at the old Wanamaker's Department Store.|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915193349/https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/NYJAdc/ItemDetails.cfm?id=1027|url-status=live}}</ref> When the fire was being extinguished, some water pooled in the basement and into a [[subterranean river]] parallel to the tracks,<ref name="p1324029887">{{cite news |date=15 July 1956 |title=Old Wanamaker's Gutted; IRT Line Hit Gas Cut Off |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324029887}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Larry |date=1956-07-15 |title=Wanamaker Fire Imperils IRT Line; 77 Hurt at Scene; Service Between Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Stations Is Halted |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/07/15/archives/wanamaker-fire-imperils-irt-line-77-hurt-at-scene-service-between.html |access-date=2022-05-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> a likely tributary of [[Minetta Creek]].<ref name=":1" /> In the aftermath, the Astor Place station was flooded, causing service to be rerouted for one week.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Kihss|first=Peter|date=July 18, 1956|title=Full IRT Service Resuming Friday|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/07/18/archives/full-irt-service-resuming-friday-congestion-eases-mayor-and-transit.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 2, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206113554/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/07/18/archives/full-irt-service-resuming-friday-congestion-eases-mayor-and-transit.html}}</ref><ref name="p1327089960">{{cite news |last=Gleason |first=Gene |date=18 July 1956 |title=Full IRT Service To Resume Friday: Police Ease Rush-Hour Confusion Last BMT Lines Back to Normal |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1327089960}}}}</ref> The flood undermined the existing track bed, which was composed of a foot of concrete above a layer of earth. As a result, {{convert|275|yd|m}} of new concrete track beds had to be installed.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kihss|first=Peter|date=1956-07-19|title=IRT at Astor Place Gets Concrete Bed|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/07/19/archives/irt-at-astor-place-gets-concrete-bed-concrete-poured-at-astor.html|access-date=2022-05-15|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The repairs cost roughly $250,000.<ref name="p1327089960" />

In November 1959, the Warshaw Construction Company received a contract to remove fifteen entrance/exit kiosks on IRT lines, including two at the Astor Place station. This was part of a citywide initiative to remove the kiosks, which obstructed motorists' views of pedestrians.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1959-11-09|title=15 More City Kiosks Slated for Scrap|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/09/archives/15-more-city-kiosks-slated-for-scrap.html|access-date=2022-01-30|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130164105/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/09/archives/15-more-city-kiosks-slated-for-scrap.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in late 1959, contracts were awarded to extend the platforms at {{stn|Bowling Green}}, {{stn|Wall Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, {{stn|Fulton Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, {{stn|Canal Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, {{stn|Spring Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, {{stn|Bleecker Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, Astor Place, {{stn|Grand Central–42nd Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, {{stn|86th Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}}, and {{stn|125th Street||IRT Lexington Avenue Line}} to {{Convert|525|feet|meters}}.<ref name="Annual Report 1959">{{Cite book|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/pdf/nyct_annual_report_1959.pdf|title=Annual Report For The Year Ending June 30, 1959|publisher=New York City Transit Authority|year=1959|pages=9|access-date=December 29, 2020|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511153724/https://s3.amazonaws.com/nycsubway.org/images/pdf/nyct_annual_report_1959.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 1960, work began on a $3,509,000 project (equivalent to ${{inflation|fmt=c|index=US|value=3.509|start_year=1960|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|index=US}}) to lengthen platforms at seven of these stations to accommodate ten-car trains. The northbound platforms at Canal Street, Spring Street, Bleecker Street, and Astor Place were lengthened from {{Convert|225|to|525|feet|meters|abbr=}}; the platform extensions at these stations opened on February 19, 1962.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=February 18, 1962|title=4 IRT Stops To Open Longer Platforms|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/18/archives/4-irt-stops-to-open-longer-platforms.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 4, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108213132/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/18/archives/4-irt-stops-to-open-longer-platforms.html}}</ref>

==== 1970s to present ====
In 1979, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] designated the space within the boundaries of the original station, excluding expansions made after 1904, as a city landmark.<ref name="NYCL-1096" /> The station was designated along with eleven others on the original IRT.<ref name="NYCL-1096" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=October 27, 1979|title=12 IRT Subway Stops Get Landmark Status|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/27/archives/12-irt-subway-stops-get-landmark-status.html|access-date=December 26, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309164713/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/27/archives/12-irt-subway-stops-get-landmark-status.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The original interiors were listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2004.<ref name="focus" />

The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system in 1981.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/11/nyregion/agency-lists-its-69-most-deteriorated-subway-stations.html|title=Agency Lists Its 69 Most Deteriorated Subway Stations|date=June 11, 1981|newspaper=The New York Times|last1=Gargan|first1=Edward A.|access-date=August 13, 2016|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204421/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/11/nyregion/agency-lists-its-69-most-deteriorated-subway-stations.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This led residents to create the Committee for Astor Place to raise money for restoration of the station.<ref name="AR 1987-01">{{cite journal|date=Jan 1987|title=Eager Beaver|url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1987-01.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=|pages=81–83|number=|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429153938/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1987-01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|81}} In 1981, the MTA announced the creation of its Culture Stations program to install public art in the subway. The Culture Stations program was started to deter graffiti, and was inspired by legislation in the [[New York City Council]] that mandated that 1% of the cost of constructing public buildings be used for art. The program was modeled on the [[Louvre – Rivoli (Paris Métro)|Louvre – Rivoli station]] on the [[Paris Métro]], which featured reproductions of the artwork on display in the Louvre. Four stations, namely Astor Place, [[Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum station|Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum]], [[66th Street–Lincoln Center station|66th Street–Lincoln Center]], and [[Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station|Fifth Avenue/53rd Street]], were selected for the program due to their proximity to cultural institutions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hYROgc2s2DgC&q=MTA+culture+station&pg=PA229|title=Art and the Subway: New York Underground|last1=Fitzpatrick|first1=Tracy|date=2009|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=9780813544526|page=229}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Wallach|first=Amei|date=September 11, 1985|title=The Arts Go Underground|pages=145|work=Newsday|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104891768/the-arts-go-undergroundamei-wallach/|access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref><ref name=nyt-1982-08-09/> These would be among the first stations in the MTA's new station refurbishment program, which began in 1982.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/03/nyregion/untangling-knots-subway-architect-s-challenge-make-dekalb-station-flow.html|title=Untangling Knots in the Subway; Architect's Challenge Is to Make DeKalb Station Flow|date=February 3, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Initially, there was funding only for the Astor Place and Fifth Avenue/53rd Street stations.<ref name=nyt-1982-08-09>{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|date=August 9, 1982|title=How Culture in the Subways May Look|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/09/theater/how-culture-in-the-subways-may-look.html|access-date=July 3, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

By 1982, the Astor Place station was planned to be renovated for $2.25&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Haberman |first1=Clyde |last2=Johnston |first2=Laurie |date=1982-07-13 |title=New York Day by Day |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/13/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-013227.html |access-date=2022-05-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As part of the Adopt-a-Station program, which sought to renovate some of the subway's most deteriorated stations, the [[Chemical Bank]] sponsored a $2.5&nbsp;million renovation for the station (equivalent to ${{inflation|fmt=c|index=US|value=2.5|start_year=1984|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation/year|index=US}}), while the Committee for Astor Place cosponsored the project.<ref>{{Cite news|last=United Press International|date=June 8, 1984|title=Station at Astor Place Slated for Restoration|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/08/nyregion/stationat-astor-place-slated-for-restoration.html|access-date=December 29, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524152358/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/08/nyregion/stationat-astor-place-slated-for-restoration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other sources of funding included $600,000 from the Federal [[Urban Mass Transit Administration]], as well as $125,000 from private sources such as the [[Vincent Astor]] Foundation.<ref name="nyt19860517">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/17/nyregion/refurbishing-of-irt-station-applauded-by-well-wishers.html|title=Refurbishing of IRT Station Applauded by Well-Wishers|last=Blau|first=Eleanor|date=May 17, 1986|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=September 5, 2016|archive-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915142123/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/17/nyregion/refurbishing-of-irt-station-applauded-by-well-wishers.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The firm of [[Prentice & Chan, Ohlhausen]] was hired to renovate the platforms.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|81}} [[Rolf Ohlhausen]], one of the firm's principals, had photographed the station's original cast-iron station entrance kiosks as an architecture student at the neighboring [[Cooper Union]], and he advocated for a replica kiosk to be installed over the northbound entrance.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|81}}<ref name="nyt-1986-02-28">{{Cite news |last1=Bird |first1=David |last2=Dunlap |first2=David W. |date=1986-02-28 |title=New York Day by Day; Latter-Day Kiosk |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/28/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-latter-day-kiosk.html |access-date=2022-05-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The station's renovation started in June 1984 and was completed by May 1986.<ref name="nyt19860517" /> The scope of the project included the restoration of the platform's glazed ceramic beaver plaques; refurbishing the 1950s platform extensions with a design similar to the original station; cleaning the ceiling; and adding new lighting, noise-abatement material, and brown floor tiles.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|82&ndash;83}} A new piece of porcelain steel artwork by Cooper Union alumnus [[Milton Glaser]] was installed and a cast-iron copy of one of the station's original kiosks was built.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|82&ndash;83}}<ref name="nyt19860517" /> The MTA rejected Glaser's original proposal to include beaver representations in the artwork because the beavers too closely resembled rats.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|3}} Glaser's artwork was installed as a gift, and the kiosk was installed using leftover funding.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 21, 1988|title='Underground art' at high level|pages=592|work=New York Daily News|first=Joan|last=Shepard|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77830531/underground-art-at-high-level/|access-date=May 17, 2021|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517030910/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77830531/underground-art-at-high-level/|url-status=live}}</ref> An underpass between the northbound and southbound platforms was closed and covered up in the 1980s renovation.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|4}} Sound-deadening panels were also installed in the station.<ref name="p278100073">{{cite news |last=Dwyer |first=Jim |date=31 Mar 1989 |title=Astor Place Subway Stop City's Dead Man's Curve |page=3 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|278100073}}}}</ref> Following the completion of the project, architectural writer [[Paul Goldberger]] wrote that the Astor Place station's "value as architecture lies not in any generous space it offers, but in a series of pleasing details".<ref name=nyt-1986-10-18>{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=1986-10-18|title=2 Subway Projects, 2 Outcomes|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/18/nyregion/2-subway-projects-2-outcomes.html|access-date=2022-07-14|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Station layout ==
{{NYCS Platform Layout IRT Lexington Avenue Line/Park Avenue South stations}}
Like other local stations, Astor Place has four tracks and two [[side platform]]s. The [[6 (New York City Subway service)|6]] stops here at all times,<ref name="tt6">{{NYCS const|timetable|6}}</ref> rush-hour and midday [[6d (New York City Subway service)|&lt;6&gt;]] trains stop here in the peak direction;<ref name="tt6"/> and the [[4 (New York City Subway service)|4]] stops here during late nights.<ref name="tt4">{{NYCS const|timetable|4}}</ref> The two express tracks are used by the 4 and [[5 (New York City Subway service)|5]] trains during daytime hours.<ref name="tracks">{{NYCS const|trackref|trackbook3}}</ref> The station is between {{stl|NYCS|14th Street&ndash;Union Square|Lexington}} to the north and {{stl|NYCS|Bleecker Street|Lexington}} to the south.<ref name=submap>{{NYCS const|map}}</ref> The platforms were originally {{convert|200|ft}} long, like at other local stations on the original IRT,<ref name="NYCL-1096"/>{{Rp|4}}<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|3}} but as a result of the 1959 platform extensions, became {{convert|525|ft}} long.<ref name="Annual Report 1959"/> The platform extensions are at the front ends of the original platforms: the southbound platform was extended southward and the northbound platform was extended northward, resulting in the two platforms being offset from each other.<ref name="HAER Designs"/>{{rp|33}} Both platforms are slightly curved,<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|5–6}} since the station itself is placed on an S-curve between Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue.<ref name="p278100073" /><ref name="nyt-1989-03-31">{{Cite news |last=McFadden |first=Robert D. |date=1989-03-31 |title=2 Subway Workers Killed by a Train Rounding a Curve |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/31/nyregion/2-subway-workers-killed-by-a-train-rounding-a-curve.html |access-date=2022-05-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Fixed platform barriers, which are intended to prevent commuters falling to the tracks, are positioned near the platform edges.<ref name=Wassef202507>{{cite web | last=Wassef | first=Mira | title=Platform barriers installed at 56 subway stations in NYC | website=PIX11 | date=July 18, 2025 | url=https://pix11.com/news/local-news/platform-barriers-installed-at-56-subway-station-in-nyc/ | access-date=July 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name=Russo-Lennon202507>{{cite web | last=Russo-Lennon | first=Barbara | title=These are the NYC subway stations that now have protective platform barriers | website=amNewYork | date=July 20, 2025 | url=https://www.amny.com/nyc-transit/platform-barriers-nyc-subway-stations/ | access-date=July 21, 2025}}</ref>

===Design===
{{multiple image
 | align       = center
 | direction   = horizontal
 | total_width = 800
 | image1      = Astor Place IRT 004 crop.jpg
 | caption1    = Faience plaque with beaver
 | image2      = Astor Place IRT 006.JPG
 | caption2    = Faience name tablet
 | image3      = Astor Place IRT 002.JPG
 | caption3    = Tile with initial "A"
}}

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a [[cut-and-cover]] method.<ref name="HAER CE">{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Charles|date=1978|title=Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering|url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|access-date=December 20, 2020|publisher=Historic American Engineering Record|pages=208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283)|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|url-status=live}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|237}} The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] of [[concrete]] no less than {{Convert|4|in||abbr=}} thick.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|3–4}}<ref name="HAER Designs"/>{{rp|9}} Each platform consists of {{Convert|3|in|cm|-thick|abbr=|adj=mid}} concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron [[Doric order|Doric]]-style columns spaced every {{Convert|15|ft||abbr=}}, while the platform extensions contain [[I-beam]] columns, some clad with white glazed tiles. The columns contain black-and-white signs alternating between "Astor Place" and "Cooper Union". Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every {{convert|5|ft}}, support the [[Jack arch|jack-arched]] concrete station roofs.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|3–4}}<ref name="NYCL-1096" />{{Rp|4}}<ref name="HAER Designs">{{cite web|last=Framberger|first=David J.|date=1978|title=Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway|url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|access-date=December 20, 2020|publisher=Historic American Engineering Record|pages=1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412)|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117001227/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ny/ny0300/ny0387/data/ny0387data.pdf|url-status=live}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|9}} The ceiling height varies based on whether there are utilities in the ceiling; the areas without utilities is about {{Convert|15|ft||abbr=}} above platform level, while the area with utilities has a ceiling height of {{Convert|8|ft||abbr=}}.<ref name="focus"/>{{rp|5}} There is a {{Convert|1|in||abbr=|adj=on}} gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of {{Convert|4|in||abbr=|adj=on}}-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|3–4}}<ref name="HAER Designs"/>{{rp|9}}

The [[fare control]] areas are at platform level and there is no free transfer between directions.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|4}} The underpass that formerly connected the platforms opened along with the rest of the station in 1904, making Astor Place one of the few locations in the original IRT where passengers could transfer between directions for free.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wY6AQAAIAAJ&q=lengthen|title=Appendices to the Report of the Royal Commission on London Traffic with Index Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of His Majesty|date=1906|publisher=Royal Commission on London Traffic|language=en|access-date=November 26, 2021|archive-date=October 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015060415/https://books.google.com/books?id=1wY6AQAAIAAJ&q=lengthen|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|146}}

[[File:Astor Place IRT 008.JPG|thumb|left|Former women's restroom converted into newsstand (now closed and walled off)]]

The walls in this station contain modern enamel artwork. The walls along the platforms near the fare control areas consist of a brick [[wainscot]]ing on the lowest part of the wall, with bronze air vents along the wainscoting, and white glass tiles above. The platform walls are divided at {{convert|15|ft|adj=on}} intervals by buff brick tile [[pilaster]]s, or vertical bands; the wall sections between each pilaster contain a border of blue mosaic tiles. In the original portion of the station, each pilaster is topped by yellow [[faience]] plaques depicting beavers, surrounded by green scrolled and foliate motifs. The beaver plaques are a reference to [[John Jacob Astor]], whose fortune had been derived from the beaver-pelt trade.<ref name="focus"/>{{rp|4–5}}<ref name="NYCL-1096"/>{{rp|8}} A faience cornice with green urn and vine motifs runs atop these walls.<ref name="focus">{{Cite archive|collection=Records of the National Park Service, 1785 – 2006|institution=National Archives|item-url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313927|series=National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017|item=New York MPS Astor Place Subway Station (IRT)|item-id=75313927|box=National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York}}</ref>{{rp|4–5}}<ref name="NYCL-1096"/>{{rp|8}}  Cream-on-blue faience plaques with the words "Astor Place" are also spaced at various intervals on the walls, a deviation from the tile plaques seen at other original IRT stations. The platform extensions contain similar decorative elements, but the pilasters are made of tan ceramic tiles, and the wall sections between each pilaster contain a border of blue ceramic tiles. Within the platform extensions' pilasters are tiled plaques with the vertical text "Astor".<ref name="focus"/>{{rp|5}}<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|82}} There were maroon and gold tile Cooper Union signs underneath the tile Astor Place signs, which were destroyed during the renovation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/85071996@N00/4017302543/sizes/l/in/pool-1194454@N25/|title=1982 Photo of Astor Place Signage|year=1982|work=Cable (Cooper Union Yearbook)|access-date=December 9, 2009|archive-date=August 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805223703/https://www.flickr.com/photos/85071996@N00/4017302543/sizes/l/in/pool-1194454@N25/|url-status=live}}</ref> The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.<ref name="HAER Designs"/>{{rp|31}} The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Manhattan Glass Tile Company and faience contractor [[Grueby Faience Company]].<ref name="HAER Designs"/>{{rp|33}}

The northbound platform contains doorways that formerly led to men's and women's restrooms, with corresponding marble [[lintel]]s. A news and candy stand was in the former women's restroom, but it has been closed and walled off as of 2021. North of fare control is a rounded seating area.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|6}} The northbound platform was used as a cover image of [[Billy Joel]]'s 1976 album [[Turnstiles (album)|Turnstiles]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Katz |first1=Mike |last2=Kott |first2=Crispin |last3=McNeil |first3=Legs |title=Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to New York City |date=June 2018 |isbn=978-1-63076-316-9 |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guilford, Connecticut |page=150 |oclc=1007036799}}</ref>

On the southbound side, the station has an entrance and windows into a store. The heavy brick-faced square columns on the southbound platform support the store above.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|4–5}} The store was originally constructed in 1868 as an [[A. T. Stewart]], but it had become a Wanamaker's by the time the station was constructed and opened.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|4–5}}<ref name="NYCL-2039"/>{{rp|94}} The Wanamaker's store was closed by 1954. It served as [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] location from November 1996 to July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Offenhartz|first=Jake|date=July 12, 2021|title=Kmart, An Unlikely Astor Place Icon, Shutters Without Notice|url=https://gothamist.com/news/kmart-unlikely-astor-place-icon-shutters-without-notice|access-date=July 13, 2021|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=July 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712215316/https://gothamist.com/news/kmart-unlikely-astor-place-icon-shutters-without-notice|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-16|title=Vornado Lines Up Grocer for Astor Place Kmart Space|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/07/16/astor-place-kmart-to-be-replaced-by-grocery-store-sources/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=July 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728144119/https://therealdeal.com/2021/07/16/astor-place-kmart-to-be-replaced-by-grocery-store-sources/|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Wegmans]] location opened within the Kmart space in late 2023.<ref name="Kvetenadze 2023 y608">{{cite web | last=Kvetenadze | first=Téa | title=New Yorkers celebrate opening of first Manhattan Wegmans at Astor Place | website=New York Daily News | date=October 18, 2023 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/18/new-yorkers-descend-on-new-astor-place-wegmans/ | access-date=October 18, 2023}}</ref>

Also present on the southbound side is a sealed doorway with a marble lintel reading "Clinton Hall". This doorway once led to the [[New York Mercantile Library]] in the former [[Astor Opera House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forgotten-ny.com/1998/04/the-other-door-to-nowhere-not-to-be-outdone-the-astor-place-station-irt-6-has-its-very-own-door-to-nowhere-where-did-it-go/|title=Clinton Hall at Astor Place|website=Forgotten New York|date=April 20, 1998|access-date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=October 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004102332/http://forgotten-ny.com/1998/04/the-other-door-to-nowhere-not-to-be-outdone-the-astor-place-station-irt-6-has-its-very-own-door-to-nowhere-where-did-it-go/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="focus" />{{Rp|4–5}}

===Exits===
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 800
| image1            = Astor Place Downtown.JPG
| caption1          = Southbound entrance
| image2            = LozDSC00111.jpg
| caption2          = Northbound entrance, a reproduction of an old IRT kiosk
| image3            = Astor Place Kmart 3 vc.jpg
| caption3          = Easement exit to 770 Broadway from the southbound platform in 2016
}}

The station has one street entrance in each direction. The southbound platform's entrance is at the southwest corner of Astor Place and Lafayette Street.<ref name=maps>{{cite web|title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Astor Pl (6)|url=https://new.mta.info/document/2446|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|access-date=December 25, 2020|date=2018|archive-date=December 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216233056/https://new.mta.info/document/2446|url-status=live}}</ref> The street staircase on the southbound side contains modern steel railings like those seen at most New York City Subway stations.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|6}}

The northbound platform's entrance is in the traffic island bounded by Fourth Avenue, Lafayette Street, and Eighth Street.<ref name="maps"/> Unlike the southbound entrance, the northbound entrance contains a highly decorative entrance, reminiscent of an entry kiosk seen on the original IRT.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|7}} The structure is an imitation of the IRT's original [[Early history of the IRT subway#Entrances and exits|entrance and exit kiosks]], extremely ornate structures made of cast iron and glass. The IRT kiosks were inspired by those on the [[Budapest Metro]], which themselves were inspired by ornate summer houses called "kushks".<ref name="NY1900">{{cite New York 1900}}</ref>{{Rp|443}}<ref name="Brooks 1997 p.">{{cite book|last=Brooks|first=Michael W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr40kS6yK1AC|title=Subway City: Riding the Trains, Reading New York|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-8135-2396-5|access-date=December 25, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722163204/https://books.google.com/books?id=kr40kS6yK1AC|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|66–67}} The Astor Place entrance is a reproduction installed in the 1980s and was made at the same factory as the originals.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|7}}<ref name="nyt-1986-02-28" /> The kiosk is {{convert|13|ft}} wide, {{convert|22|ft}} long, and {{convert|16|ft}} tall.<ref name="nyt-1986-02-28" /> The replica was largely based from photographs by renovating architect Rolf Ohlhausen.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|81}} Like the original entrance kiosks,<ref name="HAER Designs" />{{Rp|13}} it has a domed roof with cast-iron shingles.<ref name="focus" />{{Rp|7}}<ref name="nyt-1986-02-28" /> Unlike the originals, the roof of the kiosk have clear tempered glass to allow natural light, while the original kiosks had translucent glass with chicken wire, which tended to become dirty over time. Additionally, the decorative pieces of the new kiosk were molded from fragments of the originals, but the new kiosk was made of lighter-weight material.<ref name="AR 1987-01" />{{Rp|81}}

== Points of interest ==
Several sites of historical and cultural importance are near the station, such as [[New York University]] and [[Cooper Union]].<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015">{{cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M05_East%20Village_2015.pdf|title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: East Village|date=2015|website=mta.info|publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]|access-date=September 5, 2015|archive-date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724175150/http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M05_East%20Village_2015.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Alamo (sculpture)|Alamo]], a cube sculpture in the traffic island above the northbound platform, is a popular visitor attraction in the area.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Famous Cube Puzzles Its Biggest Fans |first=Jennifer |last=Bleyer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/nyregion/thecity/30cube.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 30, 2005 |access-date=July 17, 2010 |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112042527/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/nyregion/thecity/30cube.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Other points of interest include:

* [[McSorley's Old Ale House]]<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />
* [[41 Cooper Square|Cooper Union New Academic Building]]<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />
* [[Cooper Square Hotel]]<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />
* [[The Public Theater]] (formerly the [[Astor Library]])<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />
* [[Astor Place Theatre]] (part of [[Colonnade Row]]; occupied by [[Blue Man Group]])<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />
* [[Hamilton Fish House]]<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />

The [[Eighth Street–New York University station]] on the [[BMT Broadway Line]] is one block west of the station.<ref name="MTA-NameofNeighborhood-2015" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Stookey|first=Lee|title=Subway ceramics : a history and iconography of mosaic and bas relief signs and plaques in the New York City subway system|publisher=L. Stookey|location=Brattleboro, Vt|year=1994|isbn=978-0-9635486-1-0|oclc=31901471}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Astor Place (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)}}
* {{NYCS ref|http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?5:542|IRT East Side Line|Astor Place}}
* nycsubway.org — [https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/artwork_show?76 Untitled Artwork by Milton Glaser (1986)]
* Station Reporter — [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204052106/http://www.stationreporter.net/6train.htm 6 Train]
* Forgotten NY: Subways and Trains — [https://forgotten-ny.com/2006/01/the-original-28-part-1-a-look-at-the-artwork-from-the-nycs-first-28-stations-opened-october-27-1904-2/ Original 28 IRT subway stations]
* MTA's Arts For Transit — [https://web.archive.org/web/20110606071634/http://mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=6&station=16&xdev=1683 Astor Place (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)]
* [https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.730088,-73.990645&spn=0.003846,0.013433&z=17&layer=c&cbll=40.730015,-73.990675&panoid=SUtYhTAmboeVC1Kz7QR7QQ&cbp=12,294.46,,0,3.06 Fourth Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View]
* [https://maps.google.com/?ll=40.730064,-73.991193&spn=0.002976,0.009645&layer=c&cbll=40.730119,-73.991324&panoid=_lQs4as9LfjUGFRgw81tEg&cbp=12,234.59,,0,10.47&t=m&z=17 Lafayette Street entrance from Google Maps Street View]
* [http://www.google.com/maps/@40.7300707,-73.991069,3a,75y,181.85h,90.73t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-LxFHT4_LnBA%2FVe5KiAQz9vI%2FAAAAAAAAsXo%2FAQrlnAFkkAg!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-LxFHT4_LnBA%2FVe5KiAQz9vI%2FAAAAAAAAsXo%2FAQrlnAFkkAg%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352?hl=en Platforms from Google Maps Street View]
* [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7300854,-73.9912633,3a,75y,346.23h,87.97t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-b1wj2dVxL7o%2FVhvGwjrHJXI%2FAAAAAAAA5Mo%2FqEy-inq-lzYqyqgTKrjlwbOrIgx5lmTWgCLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F-b1wj2dVxL7o%2FVhvGwjrHJXI%2FAAAAAAAA5Mo%2FqEy-inq-lzYqyqgTKrjlwbOrIgx5lmTWgCLIB%2Fw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya350.7274-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i8704!8i4352!6m1!1e1 Lobby and Kmart entrance from Google Maps Street View]

{{East Village, Manhattan}}
{{NYCS stations navbox by service|l6=yes|l6x=y}}
{{NYCS stations navbox by line|lexington=yes}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}}

[[Category:1904 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:East Village, Manhattan]]
[[Category:IRT Lexington Avenue Line stations]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York City interior landmarks]]
[[Category:New York City Subway stations at university and college campuses]]
[[Category:New York City Subway stations in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Railway and subway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1904]]
[[Category:Astor Place|Station]]
[[Category:NoHo, Manhattan]]