Architect Breaks Down NYC Subway Stations (Oldest & Newest) | Architectural Digest

Today Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to Architectural Digest to explore the history of New York City's storied subway system, breaking down the architectural and design details found in some of its oldest and newest stations.

Director: Alice Roth
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Shandor Garrison
Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch
Hosted by: Michael Wyetzner

Producer: Skylar Economy
Associate Producer: Landrie Hatcher
Production Manager: Melissa Heber
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila

Camera Operator: Christopher Alfonso
Audio: Brett Van Deusen
Production Assistant: Ryan Coppola

Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Jarrod Bruner
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen

Special thanks to the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, and Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division


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[angiebrite_]

Can confirm: we want a whole series about NYC subway history!

[sdiamond]

Fun fact, you can still see city hall station if you ride the 6 train after its last stop at Brooklyn Bridge City Hall station because it actually travels the curve to turn around and change directions from downtown to uptown. I did it once years ago and it’s like looking at a museum through the glass windows.

[fallende]

I’m hereby letting you know that WE WANT MORE OF THESE VIDEOS! ❤

[sedelstein]

I live in NYC and walk past these beautiful signs, tiles, vaults, and kiosks all the time without paying enough attention. These videos give me a much greater appreciation of the architectural beauty around us. Thank you for posting.

[davidvasandani]

I could listen to Michael talk about the NY Subway for an hour. Please expand on this video. There’s so much history!

[nyccouponer]

Yes! Please provide us with a whole series on the NYC Transit system. This was so fun and informative to watch. I love learning new things about my city.

[kristenmlondon]

That was entirely too short for the amount of knowledge and passion he obviously has. I ride the subway daily. I love it. Please bring him back!

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

One of my two personal favorite NYC Subway stations is 81st Street-Museum of Natural History because of how the tile mosaics incorporate the themes of the museum above like replicating the geological strata of the Earth or into the Ocean with different sea creatures when you take the staircases down, as well as murals of dinosaurs! But the other is Court Street. Not Court Street as in Borough Hall, Court Street as in what's now the NY Transit Museum!

THIS Court Street was used for the HH Court Street Shuttle branch service to Hoyt-Schermerhorn. However, because Downtown Brooklyn already had so many stations, not to mention Hoyt-Schermerhorn station was only three blocks away, Court Street didn't see much traffic and thus it was abandoned in June 1946, over a decade later. In 1976 in celebration of the US Bicentennial, it was decided to turn the station into the NY Transit Museum. Originally the plan was it'd be a temporary thing running but because it was so popular, they made it permanent! They even ran nostalgia trips using old rolling stock (which they still do today). Love how they use the station's platforms to display the old rolling stock (with the doors always open; this makes the station count as still functioning as they run trains in and out)

[corywithout]

All of these NYC architecture breakdowns are fantastic, but I would LOVE more about the subway.

[jenniferadams]

I really appreciated the cutaway views that the architect drew out in the video. Very satisfying to see things from that pov

[ELMS]

Michael Wyetzner is just excellent in these videos. I’d love to see him do NYC Art Deco skyscrapers. But thanks for these and please, more Michael!

[yebeams]

From this video alone I am a subscriber. No hucksterism - just pure info and history of architecture. Wonderful - this is the best of Youtube. And yes, much more about the NY subway.

[Pepperiffic]

I could watch an hour long video about this! Michael does such a great job making something I normally wouldn't find at all interesting really fascinating!

[moutie]

This is a wonderful video that gives the world presence in all the open spaces of everyone

[yanelisdoens]

More videos like this with mr. Wyetzner please! He has a great hability to talk and explain about architectural details👏

[zulfaandriansyah]

4:22 the way he draw the curve is amazing!

[cgimovieman]

I’d love any more videos on public transit in NYC, but another great topic I’d love to see a similar video from AD would be on all of the main bridges connecting Manhattan to other areas. Unless I’ve overlooked that video already.

[SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Something you didn't mention about the old City Hall station, it's still used by the 6 today to turn back around towards the Bronx since it terminates at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. If you want to catch a glimpse, you could sneakily stay on the 6 as it turns around instead of getting off at the last stop OR if you want a good look, you can book a tour with the NY Transit Museum by becoming a Transit Museum member. However, because of the station's popularity, tickets for the tours (50 dollars each) sell out FAST and RARELY offered!

Our Pyongyang Metro ALSO has chandeliers! In fact, ALL the stations do! Our metro system's first line opened in 1973, a year before Seoul's opened their first. Our system is composed of two lines and a total of 16 stations. For our rolling stock, we've used Berlin U-Bahn cars acquired from the DDR, but we now also use ones made in-house! Because of how deep the system is, it doubles as bomb shelters in case of war.

[pauloneufneufneuf]

Vignelli used Akzidenz-Grotesk for the signage. Helvetica came later. There are a few examples of Akzidenz-Grotesk remaining - one on a surface building, and it’s substantial too. Subway/typography geeks will spot the difference, it is a slightly more stylised sans serif.

[nelskuni]

I love this series, and Michael Wyetzner's knowledge and explanations are terrific. Love when he draws the schematics.