Bits and Pieces: The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and following up on the James N. Gamble House and the Charles Volkmar Overmantle Mural

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel

Drive through any tunnel built in the first half of the twentieth-century, and the interior wall covering will most likely be “subway tiles.” Subway tiles have been a boon to modern decorative arts for awhile, now, but they’ve been an architectural staple for a much longer time.

This was the view of the Manhattan to Brooklyn tube wall in December 2015. (Courtesy of Michael Padwee)

If you’ve driven through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (renamed the Governor Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) between Battery Park in lower Manhattan and Red Hook in South Brooklyn over the past two years, you might have noticed that tiles were being removed from the tunnel walls. The repairs and restoration are the result of the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy, which flooded the tunnel in 2012. (Noah Hurowitz, “Battery recharge: Tunnel to half-close overnight for three years”, Brooklyn Paper, March 4, 2015; http://www.brooklynpaper.com/ stories/38/10/dtg-brooklyn-battery-tunnel-repairs-2015-03-06-bk_38_10.html)

Saltwater pours into the Manhattan entrance of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel during Hurricane Sandy. (Photo credit: Associated Press / John Minchillo)

Proposals for a crossing between the Battery Park in lower Manhattan and the Red Hook section of Brooklyn had been around since 1929. "...Originally envisioned as a three-tube, six-lane tunnel, the crossing was to connect two pieces of Robert Moses' rapidly expanding arterial network: the West Side Highway in Manhattan, and the 'Circumferential bypass' (later known as the Gowanus Expressway and the Belt Parkway) in Brooklyn. The proposed tunnel, which also had the support of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate in November 1930. However, its construction was delayed by the deepening economic depression. By 1936 the story of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel became acrimonious with a political and economic dispute between two alternatives on how to connect these major arteries in Manhattan and Brooklyn: a Brooklyn-Battery Bridge or a Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel." (http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn-battery/)

(taken with permission from Samuel Amadon's poem, “The Brooklyn–Battery Bridge in the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel”; https://www.poetry foundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/detail/90969)

There were many political and personal twists and turns before the tunnel actually was built. "...Mayor La Guardia [established] the New York City Tunnel Authority...in 1935 to build the Queens Midtown Tunnel. In 1936 the City advanced $75,000 to this Authority for preliminary studies of a Battery Tunnel. On January 25, 1939, however, the Mayor and Board of Estimate decided on a bridge instead of a tunnel, and to use the Triborough Bridge Authority as the agency to finance it. This started a bitter controversy provoked by opponents of the bridge who claimed it would spoil the view from Brooklyn.” (Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, May 1950, p. 3) It was also suggested that much taxable land in Lower Manhattan would be lost to access roads and construction, and development in Lower Manhattan would be greatly curtailed.

When the funding changed from the NYC Tunnel Authority to the Triborough Bridge Authority, LaGuardia ceded control of the NYC Tunnel Authority to Robert Moses. Moses “changed the original plan from a six-lane tunnel crossing to a six-lane bridge crossing. This change reflected the values of the bankers that would finance such a project: that a bridge would be built for less money, cost slightly less to operate, and carry more traffic. Moreover, this change reflected his own personal philosophy: his eagerness to build impressive monuments for all to see. According to an aide, Moses regarded a tunnel as ‘but a hole in the ground.’” (http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn-battery/)

A 1939 model of the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Bridge. (From the collection of the Museum of the City of New York) "Moses hired his favorite designer - Othmar Ammann - for the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Bridge. The design of Moses' proposed crossing -a twin suspension bridge linked together by a central anchorage near Governor's Island - was similar to that of the twin suspension span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge." (http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn-battery/)

Before the tunnel was actually built, this controversy involved Mayor LaGuardia, Robert Moses, the Army Corps of Engineers, property owners on both sides of the proposed bridge, ordinary citizens and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Eleanor Roosevelt delivered the president’s message on this subject: “I have a plea from a man who is deeply interested in Manhattan Island, particularly in the beauty of the approach from the ocean at Battery Park. He tells me that a New York official, who is without doubt always efficient, is proposing a bridge one hundred feet high at the rive, which will go across to the Whitehall Building over Battery Park. This, he says, will mean a screen of elevated roadways, pillars, etc., at that particular point. I haven't a question that this will be done in the name of progress, and something undoubtedly needs to be done. But isn't there room for some consideration of the preservation of the few beautiful spots that still remain to us on an overcrowded island?” (http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn-battery/)

On July 17, 1939 the Secretary of War, Harry Woodring, ruled that the proposed bridge could not be located seaward of the Brooklyn Navy Yard; it would be vulnerable to attack in the event of war, and it could block access to the Navy Yard. “[It] could be argued that this was a ludicrous objection, since the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges were downstream of the Navy Yard. In the end, perhaps the Battery crossing decision stemmed from the long-[simmering] grudge between Moses and Roosevelt.” (Ibid.)

The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel under construction. (From The New York Times archives, 1944)

A noted tunnel engineer, Ole Singstad, began directing the construction of the tunnel in 1940, but World War II interrupted construction until 1945. The tunnel was completed in 1950 and was opened to auto traffic on May 25, 1950.

I did mention the tiles in the beginning of my article. According to a 1948 newspaper article, the “...Brooklyn-Battery tunnel is getting the longest tile lining ever installed in the  United States. Seventeen teams of tile setters are already working on the...two tubes. ...When completed, the tunnel’s lining will extend 9117 feet... . The tile, a total of 780,000 square feet, or enough for 6500 average size bathrooms, is being installed to simplify cleaning and to diffuse light for motorists... .” (“New Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Gets Tile Job”, November 17, 1948. An unattributed newspaper article.)

I only discovered the name of the original wall tile manufacturer when I saw an ad on ebay for a 6 5/8” diameter commemorative tile made for the dedication of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel in 1950.

The reverse of this tile reads: “ROMANY TILES  UNITED STATES QUARRY TILE CO.” (Courtesy of Michael Padwee)

The United States Quarry Tile Company began in East Sparta, Ohio as “...the U. S. Roofing Tile Co. in 1913, with plants in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and East Sparta, Ohio, and became the United States Quarry Tile Co. in 1926. ...East Sparta’s ‘other’ two tile plants, the Federal Clay Products Co., later ([in]1936) acquired by United States Quarry Tile, and the East Sparta Clay and Limestone Co., which morphed into the Sparta Ceramic Co. in 1922. The Sparta Ceramic Co. in turn became a fully owned subsidiary of US. Ceramic Tile in 1954, due in part to the fact that its Spartan tile complemented U. S. Quarry Tile’s Romany Tile and due in part to the fact that most of the stockholders of the two companies were the same.” (James L. Murphy, “KOW: The Ceramic Art of Kenneth O. Weaver”, Contributions to Ohio Ceramic History No. 2, Grovetucky Press, Grove City, Ohio, 2010, pp. 2, 3)

Many people know of the U.S. Quarry Tile Company (now the United States Ceramic Tile Company) because of their 10” diameter, art pottery line, Romany Spartan plates:

The Romany-Spartan American Institute of Architects’ Centennial ceramic plate, 1957.

According to the website of Ceramic Solutions, a supplier of imported tiles, the new "subway" wall tiles are being manufactured by Agrob Buchtal of Germany. 

A rendering of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel) proposed repairs. (http://www.mta.info/news-bridges-and-tunnels-hugh-l-carey-tunnel/2014/11/17/queens-firm-be-awarded-2825-million-contract)

"As part of the redevelopment the tunnel wall tiles will be complet[ly] replaced with new Agrob Buchtal, Chroma wall tiles, offering easier cleaning, as well as diffusing light for motorists.

The Chroma Plural Colour Chart

"ChromaPlural was specially developed for complex design requirements.Ten ranges of colors form a color circle comprising 50 co-ordinated shades. Six color spheres illustrate various color nuances and areas of application." (http://www.agrobbuchtal.de/en/cd/produkte/produkte_seiten_2_13092.html)

"These tiles will also act as a fire-retardant, providing a protective coating for the tunnel in the event of a fire. Agrob Buchtal supplies tiles for roadway tunnels and underground railways all over the world... ." (http://www.ceramicsolutions.com.au/ redevelopment-hugh-l-carey-tunnel-tile-finish) 

The colors and tiles of Agrob Buchtal. This ceramics company was organized "...in 1992 after a merger by the traditional Deutsche Steinzeug Cremer & Breuer AG and AGROB Wessel Servais AG companies[. The] AGROB BUCHTAL tile range picks up on a history which dates far back into the 18th century." (http://www.agrob-buchtal.de/en/unternehmen/index.html?pe_id=763)

FOLLOWING UP ON:

The James N. Gamble House in Cincinnati, Ohio

At the end of my May 2013 blog I reported on the loss of the James N. Gamble house and its tile installations in Cincinnati, Ohio. Below is a further report on what's happened to the site since. James N. Gamble was one of the founders of the Proctor and Gamble Company.

April 1, 2013. In about three hours, the 170-year-old house was rubble. (Photo credit: The Cincinnati Enquirer)

"3 years ago today the City of Cincinnati lost what was arguably her most historic single-family residence. Thirty-six months later, the lot still sits empty and idle. Imagine how far along the restoration would be today if the owners -- and Procter & Gamble -- had truly understood its importance and valued their own origins. Imagine if both the owners and the company recognized that in all likelihood they would not themselves exist today if it weren't for the contributions of the man who called this place home for more than 6 decades. So much was lost that day, three years ago, when the historic James N. Gamble house was demolished. Rendering courtesy of Graeme R Daley, who fought bravely & tirelessly to help preserve this important piece of American history for future generations. Let's hope that at some point in the near future the owners will follow through on their promises of transforming what remains into an educational center that will benefit the local community." (https://www.facebook.com/groups/savethegamblehouse/)

The Charles Volkmar Overmantle in Clifton, New Jersey

In my January 2016 blog I wrote about a house in Clifton, New Jersey that had a fireplace with a tiled panel overmantle. This panel is 72" long x 24" high and depicts a boar hunt with dogs,

The fireplace with the Volkmar tile overmantle.

a boar, and hunters in the background. The panel is signed in the lower left scenic tile, which had been broken and repaired.

The owner of the house decided not to try to remove the tile panel, and has placed the property on the market. It will be up to the new owner to determine the future of the panel.

*****

LINKS TO MY PREVIOUS ARTICLES:

Art Deco Buildings and Their Lobbies: the Chrysler Building, the Film Center Building and the Kent Garage/Sofia Brothers Storage Warehouse
read more...

ARCHITECTURAL MURALS OF LUMEN MARTIN WINTER and a REPORT ON THE EMPIRE STATE DAIRY BUILDING
read more...

The Heart of the Park: Bethesda Terrace and its suspended Minton Tile ceiling
read more... 

A Landmarks hearing was held on July 19, 2016...
read more...

Two Restorations: The City Hall Subway Station and the Tweed Courthouse
read more...

Egyptian, Moorish and Middle Eastern Ornamentation Used In Art Deco Terra Cotta in New York City, and Empire State Dairy Update

read more...

Wall Murals in Brooklyn: A Mini Survey
read more...

Inside Prospect Park: The park's Rustic, Classical and other Internal Architecture
read more...

Herman Carl Mueller in Titusville and Trenton, New Jersey; A Charles Volkmar Discovery in Clifton, New Jersey
read more...

A Book Review and New Discoveries and Updates-II: Jean Nisan, Ceramic Tile Artist
read more...

Polychrome Terra Cotta Buildings in Newark, New Jersey
read more...

New Discoveries-I: The Tiled House of Jere T. Smith
read more...

Introducing the Stained and Dalle de Verre Glass Art of Robert Pinart
read more...

Bits and Pieces: Polychrome Terra Cotta- and Tile-Clad Buildings
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Socialist and Labor Architecture and Iconography in New York City
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Bits and Pieces: Two Mosaics--Hamden, CT and Manchester, NH
read more...

The Renaissance Casino and Ballroom Complex in Harlem: Another Tunisian Tile Installation Headed for Demolition
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Clement J. Barnhorn and the Rookwood Pottery
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The Woolworth Building
read more...

The Mosaic Art of Hildreth Meière
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Lost Tile Installations: The Tunisian Tiles of the Chemla Family
read more...

The Grueby Children's Murals on East 104th Street
read more...

The Experimental Lustre Tiles of Rafael Guastavino, Jr.
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Bits and Pieces: Two "E"s--Eltinge and Elks; and more about Jean Nison
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The Ceramic Tiles and Murals of Jean Nison
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Pleasant Days in Short Hills: A Rookwood Wonderland
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Architectural Ceramics in the Queen City
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Isaac Broome: Innovation and Design in the Tile Industry after the Centennial Exhibition
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"Immigration on the Lower East Side": A Public Arts Mural Created by Richard Haas
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Movie Palaces-Part 2: The Loews 175th Street Theatre
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Béton-Coignet in New York: The New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company
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Michelin House, London
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Movie Palaces, Part 1: Loew's Valencia Theatre
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An Architectural and Ceramic Tour of Istanbul - Part II
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The Tiles of Fonthill Castle
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An Architectural and Ceramic Tour of Istanbul - Part I
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Tiled Facades in Madrid
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Nineteenth Century Brooklyn Potteries
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Ernest Batchelder in Manhattan
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Leon Victor Solon: Color, Ceramics and Architecture
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Architectural Art Tiles in Reading, Pennsylvania
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Charles Lamb and Charles Volkmar
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Kansas City Architecture - II
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Kansas City Architecture - I
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Westchester County--Atwood and Grueby
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Modern Houses in New Caanan, Connecticut
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PPG Place, Pittsburgh
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Aluminum City Terrace, New Kensington, Pennsylvania
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Newark's WPA Tile Murals: “Fine Art is an Important Part of Everyday Life”
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Public Art Programs in New York City: The CETA Tile Murals at Clark Street
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Concrete and Tiles-I: Moyer, Mercer, Murosa
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The Café Savarin and the Rookwood Pottery; Chocolate Shoppe Rebounds
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Architectural Ceramics of Henry Varnum Poor
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Herman Carl Mueller and the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle
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Meet Me at the Astor
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The Mikvah Under 5 Allen Street; "Historic Hall" Apartments Revisited
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London Post-3
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Some Moravian Tile Sites in New York
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London Post-2
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London Post-1
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Brooklyn's International Tile Company
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Subway Tiles-Part III, the Squire Vickers Era
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Subway Tiles-Part II, Heins and LaFarge
read more...

Subway Tiles--Part I, Guastavino tiles
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Trent in New York-Part III, Historic Hall Apartment House
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American Encaustic Tiling Company-Part II, Artists' Tiles
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Trent in New York-Part II, a Dey Street Restaurant
read more...

American Encaustic Tiling Company-Part I, Tile Showrooms
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Trent in New York-Part I, The Bronx Theatre
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Fred Dana Marsh's Tiles
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*****

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Subway Tiles--Part III, the Squire Vickers Era

(All photos were taken in 2012 by Michael Padwee unless otherwise noted)

A "Vickers eagle" mosaic tile panel that replaced a Grueby faience eagle which was possibly damaged at the IRT #6, 33rd Street station (color enhanced)

    “...the first subway, which ran from City Hall to Broadway and 145th Street and opened in October 1904, was constructed by a company called Interborough Rapid Transit [the IRT line, designated by numbers], even though the first route was Manhattan-only. Soon, lines were built into Brooklyn, justifying the name. Beginning in the 1910s, a company called Brooklyn Rapid Transit built a network of surface lines and subways between Brooklyn and Manhattan; when that company went bankrupt after a train crash in a tunnel at Malbone Street, Brooklyn, in 1918, it reorganized as Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit, or the BMT [, designated by letters starting with "L"]. Finally, in the mid-1920s, the City of New York began planning and building its own set of subway lines, called the Independent [the IND line, designated by letters from "A" to "H"].” (http://forgotten-ny.com/2012/03/high-street-station/)

(Most of the mosaic plaques were dingy, damaged and/or filthy and had to be edited in some way)

Mosaic train engine, Grand Central Station (color enhanced)

     The architects George C. Heins & Christopher G. LaFarge presided over the original IRT construction from 1901 to about 1907. Overlapping Heins & LaFarge at the end of their contract was Squire J. Vickers (1872-1947), an architect contracted by the City in 1906 to oversee some of the IRT construction, and in 1913, the IRT/BMT "dual contract" lines and, later, the City-owned IND. Vickers worked for the subway system until 1943. We have already discussed the tile ornamentation during the Heins & LaFarge period (see "Subway Tiles--Parts I and II"). The decorative tilework was distinctly different under Squire Vickers. (An excellent bibliography of the history of the dual contract lines is at http://www.nycsubway.org/ wiki/The_Dual_Contracts)

City Hall Station, historic mosaic panel, "R" train platform (color enhanced)

     "It is clear that Vickers oversaw all of the design work and had a strong hand in choosing the material to be used. ...We...know that at least four [historic plaques] were done by Vicker's Cornell friend, Jay Van Everen, who was then painting in New York. ...In his painting Van Everen was influenced by Synchromist painters who were experimenting with unconventional use of color. ...there is clear evidence that...[Van Everen] created...[these] plaques: 14th Street/Union Square and Canal Street on the BMT; 125th Street and Clark Street on the IRT." (Lee Stookey, Subway Ceramics: A History and Iconography, published by Lee Stookey, Brooklyn, NY, 1992, pp. 60-62)

Although much of the original mosaic tilework is gone from Union Square, there are some preserved sections of it. This was probably designed by Jay Van Everen.

     "Another of the designers was Vickers' Cornell friend, Herbert Dole... . ...Vickers credited him with 'most' of the historic plaques. He designed the small hexagonal plaques set in fine mosaic bands at Christopher and Canal Streets, as well as the...bolder plaque at Borough Hall on the 7th Avenue [IRT line]." (Lee Stookey, Subway Ceramics: A History and Iconography, published by Lee Stookey, Brooklyn, NY, 1992, p. 62)

Herbert Dole's historic plaque at Borough Hall, Brooklyn

Borough Hall mosaic name plaque (color enhanced)

     According to one reviewer of the Transit Museum's 2007 exhibit, “Squire Vickers and the Subway’s Modern Age,” "[f]or both aesthetic and budgetary reasons Vickers pushed the subway onto a much more pared-down, modern path than that of his Beaux-Arts predecessors." Vickers and his designers used "...quiltlike geometric abstractions, evoking Piet Mondrian and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, [which] began to put a straight edge to the subway’s swoops and curlicues, its terra-cotta cornucopias and floral medallions. ...Mosaic elements were made flat, for example, in part 'to avoid dust ledges,' ...[Vickers] wrote, so they would be cheaper to clean. They could also be set by hand in the factory instead of piece by piece on the wall, making them less expensive to install. And yet, in many places, in design elements like...flat mosaic picture plaque[s,]...Vickers was still able pull off beautiful low-cost effects." (Randy Kennedy, "Underground Renaissance Man: Watch the Aesthetic Walls, Please" in The New York Times, August 3, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/arts/ design/03subw.html?pagewanted=all)

Historic plaque at Chambers Street, #1 Platform

     “The Chambers Street station was among the first underground stations built by Brooklyn Rapid Transit, the predecessor of the BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit). Hence, the stations under Centre Street, Chambers, Canal, and Bowery, look somewhat different from the BMT stations that followed it. The BMT used a diamond pattern  
in station art, but here it shows up on the ID plaques as well as sanserif lettering.
     Beginning later in the 1910s, the BRT/BMT would shift to serifed letters, which in turn reverted back to sanserif with the IND in the 1930s.” (http://forgotten-ny.com/2012/04/back-in-chambers/)

Mosaic-tiled diamond motifs and station names with serif lettering, "J" train platform at Fulton Street, Manhattan

Mosaic "TS" diamond panel in Times Square

     "[Vickers']...works include the following New York subway stations, all of which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

In Manhattan:

181st Street Subway Station (IND), Fort Washington Avenue between 185th and 181st Streets; A train

190th Street Subway Station (IND), under Fort Washington Avenue between Fort Tryon Park (Cabrini Boulevard) and W. 190th Street; A train

86th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT), under Lexington Avenue, between E. 85th and E. 87th Streets; 4, 5,6 trains

West 28th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT), Seventh Avenue between W. 26th and W. 29th Streets; 1, 2 trains

West Fourth Street Subway Station (IND), under Sixth Avenue between W. 3rd Street and Waverly Place; A, B, C, D, E, F, M trains

Chambers Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT), under West Broadway between Warren, Chambers and Reade Streets; 1, 2, 3 trains

In Brooklyn:

Ninth Avenue Station (Dual System BMT), 38th Street and Ninth Avenue near the junction of New Utrecht Avenue; D train

Avenue U Station (Dual System BMT), between Avenue U and Avenue T and Seventh and Eighth Streets; N train

Bay Parkway Station (Dual System BMT), above Bay Parkway at 86th Street; D train

New Utrecht Avenue Station (Dual System BMT), beneath the junction of New Utrecht Avenue with 15th Avenue and 62nd Street; N train

Ocean Parkway Station (Dual System BMT), above the junction of Brighton Beach Avenue and Ocean Parkway; Q train

Wilson Avenue Subway Station (Dual System BMT), Chauncey Street at Wilson Avenue; L train

In the Bronx:

Pelham Parkway Station (Dual System IRT), junction of White Plains Road and Pelham Parkway; 2, 5 trains

Westchester Square Station (Dual System IRT), above Westchester Avenue, from Overing Street to Ferris Place; 6 train

Woodlawn Station (Dual System IRT), junction of Bainbridge Avenue and Jerome Avenue; 4 train

In Queens:

Court Square Station (Dual System IRT), above 23rd Street between 44th Drive and 45th Road, Long Island City; 7 train

Main Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT), near junction of Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street, Flushing; 7 train" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squire_J._Vickers)

Whitehall Street mosaic panel, "R" train station (enhanced)

Court Street station, Brooklyn mosaic tile panel, "R" platform (enhanced)

"L" train station at Union Square, Manhattan

     Elevated stations provided their own decorative problems to be solved by Vickers. "In one essay Vickers explained frankly why elevated stations, as any frequent subway rider can now see, ended up badly short-changed in the design department: 'Our attempts to beautify have been of little avail, except in certain cases, on account of the cost.'" (Randy Kennedy, "Underground Renaissance Man: Watch the Aesthetic Walls, Please" in The New York Times, August 3, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/arts/ design/03subw.html?pagewanted=all)

Tile work on and between the concrete support columns. (From S.J. Vickers, "The Architectural Treatment of Special Elevated Stations of the Dual System, New York City", Journal of the American Institute of Architects, Vol. III, No. 11, November 1915, p. 501)

Vickers further explains that in the elevated stations a "systematic effort has also been made to simplify the detail and eliminate all ornament, admitting frankly the utilitarian nature of the structures. Although these stations will be orderly, we cannot hope they will be beautiful because of the conditions imposed. ...Inlaid colored tile is used where it seems desirable to add interest to the structure. A hand-made glazed tile with a semi-vitreous back is used... . The tile is set flush with the concrete in order that the surface may be enriched and still retain its simplicity." (From S.J. Vickers, "The Architectural Treatment of Special Elevated Stations of the Dual System, New York City", Journal of the American Institute of Architects, Vol. III, No. 11, November 1915, pp. 501-502)

The 33rd Street/Rawson Street/Queens Blvd. station, #7 train

Ft. Hamilton Parkway/New Utrecht Ave. station, "D" and "M" trains

Tiles installed in the station's concrete

     In later years, "as subway projects lurched through the Depression[,]...many of his aesthetic decisions were driven by the bottom line." (Randy Kennedy, "Underground Renaissance Man:...")

The Woodlawn (Bronx) IRT elevated station with exterior tiling. 1924 photo from http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?41758. David Pirmann collection.

     There are a few works that should be kept in mind if you're interested in the subway system and in subway art. Philip Ashforth Coppola's self-published, multi-volume Silver Connections: A Fresh Perspective on the New York Area Subway Systems, is not generally available, but can most likely be located in a library. Lee Stookey's self-published Subway Ceramics: A History and Iconography, published in Brooklyn, NY in 1992 can be purchased online. And, one online resource that I found indispensable was http://www.nycsubway.org/.

     For preservationists the condition of subway art and the seeming lack of interest by the MTA is a constant problem. A recent article by two Daily News writers notes that "A survey of three lines - the No. 6, the No. 1 and the L train - uncovered century-old tile nameplates and artwork that are falling apart because of neglect.  Missing and chipped tiles, water and rust stains, and thick cracks mar dozens of station decorations that should be the system's crowning glory. ...the decay...is only corrected when a station undergoes a top-to-bottom rehabilitation." (Caitlan Millat and Tracy Connor, "Subway ceramics in shameful state", New York Daily News, July 21, 2012, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/subway-ceramics-shameful-state-article-1.306133)

     An earlier New York Times article about nominating the entire subway system to the National Register for Historic Places stated that "Preservationists still bemoan Philip Johnson's makeover of the 49th Street station, blanketed with shiny orange tiles in 1975. 'Cheer is the word, like a big shopping center,' Mr. Johnson announced at the time. Or the demolition of the Bowling Green station starting in 1972, when huge red tiles replaced elegant mosaic name panels and neo-classical designs by Heins and LaFarge, who designed the 1904 and 1908 subway projects... . Or the alterations to the Broadway and 103d Street station, where classic white glazed brick-shaped tiles and at least one terra cotta escutcheon were covered by what [...one critic] called 'penal colony modern' beige walls. Or the destruction of almost all the distinctive above-ground kiosks, carted away in the 1960's, ostensibly because they blocked the sight lines of traffic. 'The real reason,' Mr. Tauranac said, 'is because they'd been neglected. The cast iron and glass were leaking.'" (Tracie Rozhon, "TURF; On the Express Track to Venerability", The New York Times, October 29, 1998,  http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/29/garden/turf-on-the-express-track-to-venerability.html?pagewanted=1)