Smith-9th Streets: Renovated (F,G)

The renovated and rebuilt Smith-9th Street Station reopened on April 26, 2013 after being closed for a long twenty-two months for local residents (nearly a year longer than originally planned) and a $32 million renovation (that included all of 2012) and turned one of the major subway landmarks from neglected blight to a big subway gem that does a good job merging the modern with historic touches like keeping the station's name tablets and restoring the original windows along the platforms.

The reopened station has the same exact layout as the original one. Most structures have just been rebuilt with tons of un-chipped, clearly freshly poured concrete. Passengers getting off at either of the station's side platforms immediately notice new silver mesh around the now open (not boarded up) window frames inside the windscreens. These offer wonderful views of the surrounding Brooklyn Landscape and Gowanus Canal for waiting passengers.

The eastern, exposed end of the platform now has modern but art deco-style lampposts above the higher concrete walls were the name tablets are. These replaced the ugly (and clearly added later) lampposts that used to be above this portion of the platform. The unique name tablets are still undergoing restoration when the station opened and only one mosaic (on the Manhattan-bound) platform has actually been restored. The MTA instead has installed color, high-quality printed photocopies of the original mosaics that look real on a passing glance until a further examination. Eventually actual replica mosaics were installed. For photographs of trains curving along the skyline the rebuilding hasn't been friendly. There is a now a silver communications cabling duct about six feel high between the two express tracks and boxes just beyond the platforms with solar panels on them that can't be avoided when photographing trains passing in front of the Manhattan skyline.

Heading down the staircase at the end of each platform to the upper mezzanine there are now windows in this mezzanine these have etchings of old nautical charts: Gowanus & Red Hook from 1733-1922. Continuing down to the intermediate landing (where the escalators turn 90 degrees) are more windows, these are partially blocked by silver sheeting that covers the exterior of the escalators visible from the street in a decorative way that feels some resemblance to the art-deco style of the original station.

Continuing down to street level, the entrance area was totally rebuilt, the far wall is purple with more nautical themed lines: Fathom Points + Compass Bearings. There is a final bit of the artwork in similar stained glass above the stations exit doors. Turning around to the turnstiles the area is completely modernized and glass blocks allow some natural light to flow in. Here the turnstiles are next to an Autogate turnstile that is unneeded because the renovations didn't include adding elevators. The MTA did evaluate elevators but found the design of the station to be structurally impossible (it would have required 4 elevators and at least two new passageways only used by elevator patrons). There is then the token booth and doors out to the street.

One big change is the new station house isn't at street level but four steps up from the street (there is a wide staircase) probably for flood control messaures. The entrance has an awning of the same silver sheeting that covers the escalator banks from street level up to the platforms. The entrance still leads out to the same location as before renovations, north side of 9th Street, just before the Ninth Street Bridge down the block, east of Smith Street.
1-57: April 30, 2013; 58-69: May 9, 2013