Summary: Like Union Square, Times Square, and Borough Hall, the 59th StreetColumbus Circle station is one that has retained elements of its original 1904 design, despite having been greatly changed over the past hundred years. The original station, which is described here, was a mere 200 feet long and 55 feet wide. It serves todays number 1 line. In the1930s the station expanded to dual twoplatform stations, serving the A, B, C, and D lines. The original subway lines were constructed between 1900 and 1904. 59th Street was one of the first completed stations. As such, it allowed Heins amp LaFarge, the subway architects and the manufacturers of various station elements, to test prototypes of their products. Grueby Faience Company of Boston was a favorite manufacturer of Heins amp LaFarge. They produced ceramics for many stations, so much so that they fell behind in production. But Grueby was meticulous. Here at the 59th Street station, Grueby sent employees to install sample ceramics. Their goal was to quotlearn the color effects of their product on an untried situation.quot For a company with a reputation as esteemed as Gruebys, this highprofile commission could not be undertaken haphazardly.The ceramics in the station remain one of the most striking features today. At many stations, Heins amp LaFarge designed ceramics to commemorate the neighborhood aboveground. With a name like quotColumbus Circlequot its not difficult to guess what the ceramics depict. Here, Christopher Columbus ship the Santa Maria sails across choppy water, sails billowing, with seagulls keeping the sailors company on their voyage across the Atlantic. This image is set in an elaborate green border decorated with the rosettes and floral swags that can also be seen in other 1904 station ceramics. In some areas below the plaques, a vertical mosaic panel extends to the middle of the wall, where ceramics are replaced by standard Roman brick wainscoting. In other areas that mosaic band has been replaced with white tiles. The beautiful ceramics garnered much attention in 1904. In a book celebrating the subways opening, the IRT called the ships, quotthe great navigators Caravan,quot while a magazine article called the ship quotthe galleys of Columbus.quot Toward the south end of the uptown platform, the plaques have been replicated in mosaic. These were likely completed when the platforms were extended around 1910. Spaced lower on the wall between these plaques are large mosaic station name tablets.Sitting above the plaques is a rare remaining station element by Heins amp LaFarge sections of a ceiling cornice. Most stations had this type of cornice, but it is a detail that has been lost as station wear, renovations, and construction have transformed the system. The rosette was a popular motif in BeauxArts design. Heins amp LaFarge also had it executed in stone and ceramic, and used it on Heins gravestone in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.The neighborhood surrounding Columbus Circle changed dramatically as a result of the subway. Before 1904 it was an industrial area filled with warehouses and armories. But, like much of the Upper West Side, the subway opening spurred residential development. With the opening of additional subway lines in the teens, the area took on a slight resemblance to Times Square. Theaters, restaurants, and nightclubs were drawing fashionable New Yorkers to the neighborhood.
