Now Reopened: The East Side of the Fourth Avenue Station

Borough President Markowitz at a new turnstile.

After four decades, the entrance to the Fourth Avenue F/G subway station on the thoroughfare’s east side is once again open to the public. MTA New York City Transit unveiled the rebuilt entryway, on the east side of Fourth Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets, at a ceremony on Feb. 23.

The renovation is part of the station component work being done by New York City Transit in conjunction with the massive Culver Viaduct Rehabilitation Project. Funding for this part of the project came in large part from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz ($2 million) and Assemblymember Joan Millman ($800,000).

The Park Slope Civic Council has long advocated for reopening the east station house in order to increase pedestrian safety for commuters crossing busy Fourth Avenue. The rebuilt entry area will also create a more inviting streetscape and encourage retail opportunities for the MTA.

“On behalf of the Park Slope Civic Council, I thank Borough President Markowitz and Assemblymember Millman for providing the lion’s share of the funds to do this work, and MTA New York City Transit for making the funding work and doing the work with its in-house personnel,” said Civic Council President Michael Cairl. “This is an important development for Fourth Avenue and a great day for Park Slope. By removing a required pedestrian crossing to the subway entrance, Fourth Avenue will be safer for all its users.

“When the subway station rehabilitation is complete, the station will be an impressive gateway to the rapidly evolving community around Fourth Avenue,” he added.

Leading the event was New York City Transit President Thomas Prendergast. Taking part in the ceremony were Markowitz, Millman, Assemblymember Jim Brennan, City Councilmembers Brad Lander and Sara Gonzalez, Cairl, Community Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman, NYCT Chief Engineer Frederick Smith, and Gene Russianoff from the Straphangers Campaign.

“The opening of the east side entrance to the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street station is a big win for the community and the first stage of what will be the eventual transformation of Fourth Avenue into a grand ‘Brooklyn Boulevard,'” said Markowitz. “Soon, the area adjacent to this entrance will be filled with retail, and the exterior archways and windows will be opened and restored to their original glory. Kudos to Assemblymember Millman, the Park Slope Civic Council, MTA New York City Transit, and everyone who fought so hard to make this a reality.”

NYCT President Thomas Predergast (speaking) was joined by (from left) Thomas Miskel, Community Board 6 Transportation Chair; Assemblymember Jim Brennan, City Councilmember Brad Lander, Borough President Marty Markowitz, Assemblymember Joan Millman, and CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman.

“As a long-time supporter of improving mass transit, I am proud to have provided funding to improve the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street Station and helped to restore the station to its former glory,” Millman said. “Over the last 10 years, Fourth Avenue has seen an enormous amount of residential growth, and this has increased the demand for mass transit in both Park Slope and Gowanus. The reopening of the east-side station house on Fourth Avenue is in response to these demands.”

The entire eastern station house has been restored, with brand new lights, floors, repainted walls, and new turnstiles. The project will benefit the majority of the 11,400 customers who use the station on an average weekday.

Although this entrance is opening now, there is much more work to come, according to New York City Transit. The set of doors leading to and from Fourth Avenue are temporary, and the doors leading to and from 10th Street will remain closed at this time.

Both sets of doors should be completed later this year. The east station house is currently accessible only to Manhattan-bound passengers. Once the southbound upper-level platform is completed later this year, passengers from Brooklyn-bound F and G trains will be able to use the rebuilt house as well.

Both sets of doors should be completed later this year. In addition, the historic arch spanning Fourth Avenue, which had been closed in with advertising billboards, will be restored, making the station lighter and more open.

Other work at the Fourth Avenue station includes:

  • Repair and restoration of all exterior tower stone and brickwork masonry.
  • Repair and painting of the viaduct underside over Fourth Avenue.
  • Restoration of all four entrances (two in each station house, from Fourth Avenue and from 10th Street).
  • Restoration of all storefront windows and retail spaces (three each in the east and west station houses), which will be ready for leasing to commercial tenants in 2013.
  • Restoration of station platforms and canopies.
  • Installation of a PA system on station platforms.

The expected completion date for remaining rehabilitation work at the Fourth Avenue station is fall 2012.

Photos by Andrew Inglesby, MTA New York City Transit

From the February 2012 Civic News