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(rshsdepot) Tiles in NYC Subway Stations



The following article from the NY Times is old news to RSHS Bulletin
readers, but for the rest...

March 24, 2002
Time and Tile
By ED BOLAND JR.

Question: Why are the walls of New York subway stations covered in ceramic
tile? To even the most amateur acoustician, this seems a likely material to
worsen already noisy conditions.

Answer: That may well be, but the benefits of using ceramic tiles on the
walls of a subway station would seem to outweigh the strain that the rumble
of a train pulling into a station puts on your eardrums.

Tiles have been in the city's subway system almost as long as the subway
itself (portions of the current system opened in 1904), and for good reason.
Aside from being fireproof, lightweight and durable, tile is one of the
easiest materials to clean.

"You need a cleanable surface in case of graffiti or defacement," says
Deirdre Parker, a spokeswoman for New York City Transit.

But the tiles serve a far more important role, one that riders are familiar
with, if only subconsciously. The first Rapid Transit Commission Contract of
1900 asked that the railway and its equipment "constitute a great public
work."

"All parts of the structure where exposed shall therefore be designed,
constructed and maintained with a view to the beauty of their appearance as
well as efficiency," the contract stated. Since the city was not about to
spend the time or money to build its stations in marble, tile was a logical
choice, because artisans could use it to create beautiful patterns and
mosaics. 

Much of the early tile work in New York stations was done by the Guastavino
Fireproof Construction Company, whose tile work can also be found in the
Oyster Bar of Grand Central Terminal, Ellis Island, the Cathedral Church of
St. John the Divine and the restaurant Guastavino in the Bridgemarket under
the Manhattan end of the Queensboro Bridge.

Tiles and the subway are now so synonymous that home design stores, like
Krup's Kitchen and Bath on West 18th Street, sell glossy white "subway
tile."


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #328
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org