February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
As Centennial Committee chairman E. Virgil Conway says, ?the subways belong to everyone.?
For details, visit the Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street — take the 2, 3, 4 or 5 train to the Borough Hall station. (718) 694-1600. Or visit the web site at: http://www.transitmuseumeducation.org/100.
Here are some of the ongoing events:
Centennial Exhibition
DANIEL GREENE: SUBWAY PAINTINGS
Through April 11
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex, Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
Daniel Greene: Subway Paintings features oils and pastels by the internationally acclaimed realist painter. Greene?s meticulous portrayals of IRT station interiors celebrate the decorative artistry of original mosaics and ceramics. His most recent works, which depict subway passengers, showcase Greene?s mastery of portraiture. Free admission.
Children?s Workshop
PHOTO TRANSFERS
Sunday, March 7, 1 p.m.
Sanford Gaster Education Center, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights
Using images of the Museum?s vintage subway cars, photographer Carol Quartin will guide students in the technique of photo transfers. Transfers will be made from Polaroid film onto Reeves paper. Suggested for ages 8 and up.
Free with museum admission.
Meet the Artist
NINE FLOORS DOWN: THE 191ST IRT RENOVATION
Saturday, March 13, 1:30 p.m.
Screening Room, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights
The 191st Street IRT station, opened in 1911, is one of three unusual and architecturally striking stations in the NYC subway. Located almost 100 feet below the streets of Washington Heights, the 1,9 tunnels pass through blasted solid bedrock. Elevators and suspended passages make this deepest station in the system a subterranean marvel. Mosaic artist Susan Brown, of Serpentile, has been engaged in several artistic renovations, and is currently reproducing the station?s stunning tile work. Ms. Brown will discuss the processes involved, display before-and-after photographs, and have samples of both original work and reproductions to examine. Free with museum admission.
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Tour
MIRACLES UNDER 34TH STREET
Sunday, March 14, noon
From the newest Sixth Avenue station, at 57th Street, to the oldest, at West 4th Street, this tour will explore the complexities of ?wrapping? the 1940 IND subway around existing tracks. Obstacles to the new construction were the Port Authority Trans Hudson line (PATH), built in 1911, the Broadway BMT line, built in 1918, Pennsylvania Station tunnels, and the 6th Avenue el, built in 1878 ? making this line a marvel of design and construction. The tour with Subway Historian Joe Cunningham will also encompass the complex 14th, 23rd, and 34th Street stations and the deep-bore express tracks that opened in 1967 between 34th and West 4th Streets.
Reservations and advanced payment are required: $15 Museum members, $20 non-members. Transit Museum members may call for courtesy advance booking beginning March 1. Please have your membership number ready when you call. Non-members may call for reservations after March 8. The reservations number is (718) 694-1867.
Meet the Expert
NEW CONEY ISLAND TERMINAL
Saturday, March 20, 1:30 p.m.
Screening Room, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights
Four subway routes converge at the Stillwell Avenue Terminal complex in Brooklyn, the largest aboveground station in the New York City subway system. Consulting architect Gregory Kiss of Kiss + Cathcart Architects will talk about the history of Coney Island from a transit perspective, and the reconstruction of the terminal using historical and contemporary images. He will explain how the reconstruction was coordinated with the redevelopment of the surrounding community and designed to promote the use of renewable energy.
Free with museum admission.
Centennial Exhibition
THE SUBWAY AT 100: GENERAL WILLIAM BARCLAY PARSONS AND THE BIRTH OF THE NYC SUBWAY
March 22?Sept. 30
The New York Public Library, Science, Industry and Business Library
188 Madison Ave. at 34th Street, Manhattan
Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Closed Sunday and Monday.)
The Science, Industry and Business Library, in collaboration with the New York Transit Museum, will present an exhibition celebrating the life and work of William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer for New York City?s first subway, the IRT, and the Subway Centennial. The exhibition presents materials drawn from the Library?s collection, augmented by artifacts and documents from other institutions. The exhibition is made possible by Parsons Brinckerhoff. For information, call (212) 592-7000. Free Admission.
Meet the Writer
A CENTURY OF SUBWAYS
Saturday, March 27, 1:30 p.m.
Screening Room, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn Heights
A prolific writer on transportation history, Brian J. Cudahy will offer a fascinating discussion on the powerbrokers and politicians who planned New York?s subway, the engineers and laborers who built it, and the city it transformed. Based on his newly published book, A Century of Subways: Celebrating 100 Years of New York?s Underground Railways, Mr. Cudahy will also compare the New York?s subway to older systems in Boston and London and reveal the impact of the IRT on rail transportation in the country. Free with museum admission.