137 Street-City College (1)

137th Street was a simple Heins & LaFarge era IRT local station before it received its 'modern' 1980s renovation. The station currently has 'modern' purple-grey wall tiles, round large 'lollypop' looking platform columns that are painted a cream color with red caps that get even bigger before the columns meet the roof of the subway. There are little brass release of shapes (most look like sea-shells) in place of tiles in the station walls.

One of the original name tablets with the famous lady with three faces - the logo and seal of the City College of New York survives near the center of each platform almost on exhibit.

The station formerly had similar terra cotta panels to 145th Street in the trim that had 137’s surrounded by two cornucopias (horns of plenty). One of these is now displayed in the transit museum. There are staffed exits smack in the center of each platform, there were token booths on each platform, until the Uptown booth was removed in 2012.

From the Downtown platform streetstairs lead out to the NW and SW corners of 137 Street and Broadway, across from here are two streetstairs up from the downtown platform, these lead out to the opposite side of Broadway in front of Montefiore Square across from where 137 Street ends at T-intersection. Montefiore Square is in the triangular block formed by Hamilton Place, Broadway and 138 Street.

North of the station is the 137 Street train yard that can house 10, 10 car trains on 5 tracks, so the station has services as a short-tern terminal for certain 1 trains. Today between about 8:15am and 9:30am, four 1 trains terminate at the station from South Ferry, and six 1 trains originate at the station.

Historically, before the 9 train was introduced in 1989, half of all weekday 1 trains terminated at 137 Street from South Ferry. The introduction of the 9 train was designed to allow all trains to run through to 242 Street using existing rolling stock because of the faster nature of skip-stop service compared to all local service. The fact that stations from 137 Street south would have lost service if they were included as skip-stop stations instead of all stop stations is also the reason the 1 and 9 trains only did skip-stop north of 137 Street.
1: November 13, 2003; 2 & 3: July 22, 2008; 4-13: December 27, 2008

A entrance to 137 Street at nighttime, when the 9 train was still in operation.

The original 137 Street Ceramic now on view in the transit museum

The information panel about 137th Street IRT Station Ceramic: '137' in the transit museum next to the ceramic.

Looking down the downtown platform at 137th Street-City College towards its northern end as a R62 1 train leaves the station with ads along the bottom half of the car.

The empty southern end of the downtown platform at 137th Street-City College.

Looking towards the middle of the platform at 137th Street-City College from its southern end.

Both platforms get quite wide towards there middles where fare control is.

Approaching the northern end of the downtown platform at 137th Street-City College, its much narrower northern end is in view.

The special lighting of the original lady with three faces mosaic and white tile in contrast with the more grey-purple tile of the rest of the station puts the station's one remnant from the past on display.

There are still 137s between the tracks. This view is also looking towards fare control on the uptown platform.

The fairly narrow northern end of the downtown platform at 137 Street-City College.

A 137 City Colleg on a round station pillar.