Myrtle Avenue station (BMT Fourth Avenue Line)

For other uses, see Myrtle Avenue (disambiguation).

The Myrtle Avenue station was a local station on the Manhattan Bridge subway tracks (B, ​D​, N, and ​Q trains) in Brooklyn, New York City, at the southern end of the bridge.

Myrtle Avenue
Former New York City Subway station
Notice of the closing of Myrtle Avenue
Station statistics
Address	Flatbush Avenue Extension and Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York
Borough	Brooklyn
Coordinates	40.6937°N 73.9833°W / 40.6937; -73.9833
Division	B (BMT)[1]
Line	BMT Fourth Avenue Line
Services	None (abandoned)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1 side platform (2 when station was open)
Tracks	5 (4 when station was open)
Other information
Opened	June 22, 1915; 110 years ago (1915-06-22)[2]
Closed	July 16, 1956; 69 years ago (1956-07-16)
Former/other names	Gold Street
Station succession
Next north	Canal Street (via Broadway Line) Grand Street (via Sixth Avenue Line) Chambers Street (via Nassau Loop) (tracks removed)
Next south	DeKalb Avenue
Location Show map of New York City Subway Show map of New York City Show map of New York
Track layout Legend to Grand Street to Canal Street ramps onto Manhattan Bridge Myrtle Avenue to Jay Street MetroTech DeKalb Avenue to Atlantic Avenue (Fourth Avenue) to Atlantic Avenue (Brighton)
Street map

History

This station opened on June 22, 1915, along with the rest of the BMT Fourth Avenue Line.^[2] The Myrtle Avenue station was sometimes called Gold Street in some early planning documents,^[3] and in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle when the station opened.^[2]

The city government took over the BMT's operations on June 1, 1940.^[4][5] The station closed on July 16, 1956 for the reconstruction of the flying junction north of DeKalb Avenue to increase capacity for the entire BMT Division.^[3] The Brooklyn-bound platform was removed completely, but the Manhattan-bound platform still exists.^[6] This station was a casualty of the rebuild. A new track had to be added on the west side to allow for a grade-separated crossing. The original southbound "local" track at the platform had to be depressed to a lower grade to cross under, and the new track wiped out the southbound platform. The northbound platform was left in place but no longer operated for passenger service.

There was a plan to build a loop just north of this station to turn back Fourth Avenue local trains from 95th Street. The bellmouths for the un-built loop can be seen just north of this station where the bypass tracks join the bridge tracks that stop at DeKalb Avenue.

The entrance to the station was from the inside of a building, and after the station was closed up, the connection was blocked off with a cinderblock wall. In 2007, the City allowed a developer that purchased the block above the station to demolish the access point to the station. A thick concrete wall now exists at the entrance to the platform.^[7][8]

Masstransiscope

The Masstransiscope artwork

In 1980 the Masstransiscope zoetrope artwork by Bill Brand was installed in the station.^[9] The artwork consists of 228 hand-painted panels that are behind a long slit light box. The artwork stretches for the full 300 feet of the platform.^[10] On September 17, 1980, passengers could start seeing the completed work from trains.^[11] This allows riders on the Manhattan-bound B and ​Q trains (and D trains during late nights when they stop at DeKalb Avenue) right before the bridge to look to their right and experience the illusion that the paintings are moving.^[12] By the mid-1980s, despite Brand's efforts to maintain the artwork, it fell into a state of disrepair. It was briefly repaired in about 1990, but it was soon covered in graffiti.^[13] After falling into a state of disrepair, graffiti was removed in 2008 and the artwork was restored.^[14] Masstransiscope was again covered by graffiti during the complete subway shutdown during Hurricane Sandy^[15] and again restored after that.^[9]

Originally, Brand came up with a more ambitious plan using blown up photographs to create a virtual film strip–these would have been regularly swapped out.^[13]

Station layout

v t e Historical track layout
Legend
to Canal Street to Chambers Street ramps onto Manhattan Bridge Myrtle Avenue to Jay Street MetroTech DeKalb Avenue to Atlantic Avenue (Fourth Avenue) to Atlantic Avenue (Brighton)

G	Street Level	-
P Former platform level	Side platform, not in service
	Northbound local	← ( late nights) do not stop here (No service: Grand Street (Sixth Avenue) or Canal Street (Broadway))
	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ does not stop here →
	Southbound express	→ does not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ ( late nights) do not stop here → (No service: DeKalb Avenue)

When open, this underground station had four tracks and two side platforms. The southbound local side platform was demolished to make way for the new fifth track.