96th Street and Broadway is currently a crowded, ripped-up construction site. But by the fall, 180 sculpture flowers will hang from the ceiling of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s newest station house for the 1 train.
This large redevelopment project with an artistic component has transformed Broadway between 95th and 96th streets into a construction zone for over two years, and is on track for completion by September 2010, according to Deirdre Parker, an MTA spokesperson.
The contract was awarded in May 2007, Parker said, and now the project is 70 percent complete.
The 96th Street rehabilitation project, which includes a large above-ground station house extending from 95th to 96th, will feature staircases and elevators leading directly to platforms, and will also provide handicap accessibility for the first time on the site, as per the Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to Sandra Bloodworth, the director of Arts for Transit, the MTA’s arts division, the MTA also commissioned a large sculptural design for the center of the above-ground station house.
One hundred and eighty flower forms will hang from seven beams in the ceiling as a three-dimensional mobile in the center of the completed station, she said. The design is a tribute to the history of the neighborhood, which was once called Bloomingdale, meaning “vale of flowers” in Dutch.
“It is an iconic project of this time frame. ... It has this very contemporary image, it is very edgy and current, yet at the same time it represents this vale of flowers,” Bloodworth said.
She added that MTA art projects are typically limited to two-dimensional mosaics. Though these projects are reliable, she said, “You want to push that which you know and do different things. This was an opportunity to do something different.”
The current station is not currently handicap accessible, and requires commuters to walk down two flights of stairs from the street level and then up another flight to reach the platforms.
This inefficient up-and-down, and the accessibility issues, will be eliminated with the new design, said Andrew Albert, co-chair of the Community Board 7 transportation committee.
He said the new station’s more practical, accessible entrance points will help the flow of traffic.
In terms of aesthetics, he added, “I think it’s going to be beautiful. … There will be a lot of natural light.”
Albert added, “This was a station that cried out, because of the lack of handicap accessibility. ... It’s a major transfer point.”
Neighborhood residents said they are ready for the station to open after dealing with the hassles of construction.
“It’s been a long three years. I can’t even remember when it started,” said Jon Sage, an Upper West Side resident who commutes from the station.
Large new developments in the area have been increasing the number of people who rely on the 96th Street station, said CB7 transportation committee member Paul Fischer.
“The MTA is forced to pay for the expansion of that subway station,” he said. But the crowds at rush hour show that there’s no question of its necessity, he said, adding, “We need it.”
The construction process did require shrinking the sidewalks on Broadway, which was concerning for some nearby businesses.
Emily Kaya, manager of F clothing store at Broadway and 95th, said, “I can tell that people are scared to walk around the sidewalks, and it’s dusty and noisy, and it’s not easy to breathe.”
Albert acknowledged that the sidewalk issue had been controversial, but said otherwise, he has only heard support for the project from local residents.
“We really haven’t gotten any complaints about this project. This is a neighborhood that speaks its mind. The fact that there have been little or no complaints really says something,” he said.
And some commuters insisted that a new station would make their lives easier and bring more people to the area.
Khara Emmanuel, a saleswoman at Mandee, a clothing store on Broadway between 95th and 96th streets, said, “I’ve seen a lot of progress, and it looks like it’s really coming together. ... We’re expecting a lot of business after the construction’s over.”
Sam Levin contributed reporting.
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