NEW YORK—The southernmost stop on the number one subway line has been in operation since 1905. If you’ve ever ridden that far south you will know that it is lacking something; namely, access to the last five cars of the train. You must be in the first five cars to get off the train.
The conductor typically warns passengers of the situation five stops north of the station. If however, you don’t speak English, or you have your headphones on, you may miss this information. You might attempt walking south within the train to exit, an illegal move on the MTA.
The station was large enough for the volume of people moving through it in 1905 but now the crowd size is much greater (six million passengers is the projected number for next year). Staten Islanders get off the ferry and have to cram into the current crowded station on their way to work, there’s just not enough room for them. “If nothing else, we have the ability to increase flow,” said Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction.
“Now, 88 passengers can board the train from anywhere on the platform” said Horodniceanu. “We built it with $330 million; it is one of the recovery projects funded by the Federal Government for lower Manhattan.” The Government gave $4.55 billion total to the recovery fund.
Projected to be open in January, number one train passengers may be surprised when the conductor does not say anything about moving to the first five cars of the train. The next thing they will see is a gleaming, new, state of the art subway platform with another track on the opposite side.
Passengers will exit the platform up one of seven escalators or two elevators. If they chose the former they will be greeted by a beautiful tile mural depicting tree branches silhouetted against lighter colored branches on a white background. The mural is composed of 425 fused glass panels. The mural continues 250 feet along most of the length of the mezzanine, ranging in height from 9 to 14 feet tall.
Across from the mural is a 25-foot long sculptural stainless steel fence that mirrors the tree branch motif of the tiles. The name of the piece is “See It Split, See It Change”. Also featured on a wall over the main stairway is an earth tone tile map of New York City when viewed from the southern tip of the island, displaying the subway map. Next to the tile map is a similarly shaped mosaic with a leaf design with veins that echo the lines of the subway on the Manhattan map.
In 2009 when the Peter Minuet Plaza and the new bus loop island are completed the South ferry Station will be New York’s first true intermodal center, linking ferry, subway, and bus service together at the same place. “At this particular point this will be the most state of the art station in New York” said Horodniceanu, “We are looking to build three more stations on the 2nd Avenue line and I expect that they will follow the example that is set here.”
During the construction of the station, parts of the original coastline of New York City were recovered. There was a mid 1700’s era stone wall that stretched 600 feet, was 8-10 feet wide, and rose up to four feet high. The wall was demolished after the Revolutionary War and was used to create Battery Park. It originally had cannons mounted atop it and was an important tool in the defense of New York. A coin dated 1744 and a 1758 medallion were also uncovered along with the remains of eaten meals, pieces of clay pipes, and other artifacts. A portion of the wall has been preserved and is mounted on a wall inside the station while more of was kept for use in the park that will be built outside the station in the future.