Heins and LeFarge were concerned about more than style, though. Both Heins and LaFarge were part of the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized personal attention to quality.

City Hall Station, the ceremonial terminal and the first station to open, would reflect these values and allow the mayor to show off the finished project.Īs such, designers George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge were hired as consulting architects in addition to Rafael Guastavino, the principal designer. The City Beautiful architectural movement, which posited that beautiful architecture could help improve civic society, was well underway when New York City’s first subway stations were being planned in 1904. The platform’s other light source - 12 elegant brass chandeliers - are still functioning, however. Three additional glass skylights once filtered sunshine onto parts of the platform, but were later blackened during World War II as a safety measure. Along the platform, which is notable for its curved shape, 15 tiled arches support the ceiling and showcase the same colors as the mezzanine above. The white, green, and red colors contrast with the blue glass in the skylight to a stunning effect.Ī wide tiled arched opening leads from the mezzanine down to the center of the station’s platform. What we would now consider white subway tile lines the walls, crowned by green tile arches and red Roman brick laid in a herringbone pattern surrounding the skylight. The mezzanine features one of various self-supporting vaulted tile ceilings designed by master artisan Rafael Guastavino for the station, as well as a leaded glass skylight. These stairways lead down to a mezzanine area, where fares were once collected at an ornate oak ticket booth.

Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools.

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New york subway tiles