{"nrhp_refnum":"04001013","name":"Astor Place Subway Station (IRT)","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Jct. of Bowery, Astor Place and Lafayette St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.72998871000004,"lon":-73.99137546899993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture","Art","Engineering","Community Planning and Development","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An underground IRT subway station on the Lexington Avenue Line in Lower Manhattan, at the intersection of Bowery, Astor Place and Lafayette Street, built in 1904 and opened in 1905 under IRT Contract 1.","why_significant":"The station is significant as part of the original Interborough Rapid Transit system, under Criterion A for transportation, community planning and development, and social history. It also meets Criterion C for engineering, architecture and art, with high-quality original tile, faience and Roman brick decoration. It retains a relatively high degree of integrity and helped the surrounding district grow more densely populated.","narrative":"Astor Place Station is an underground subway stop beneath the intersection of Bowery, Astor Place and Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan. Built in 1904 and opened in 1905 as part of the first Interborough Rapid Transit contract, it is a side-platform station constructed by the cut-and-cover method, with a steel frame, concrete walls and cast iron Tuscan columns. Engineer William Barclay Parsons handled the structure, while architects George L. Heins and Christopher G. LaFarge designed the decoration. Original white glass tile, Roman brick pilasters, terra cotta and faience survive, including blue plaques showing a yellow beaver that honors John Jacob Astor and his fur-trade fortune. A replica Budapest-style kiosk marks the Uptown entrance. The station was recognized for its role in transportation and in the growth of the East Village, where quick access to the rest of the city encouraged denser settlement, and for its engineering, architecture and decorative art.","period_of_significance":"1904","architect_builder":"William Barclay Parsons (engineer); George L. Heins and Christopher G. LaFarge (architects)","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Beaux-Arts","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a transportation station; renovated in the late 1980s, when a replica IRT Budapest-style kiosk was added at the Uptown entrance. Platform extensions at both ends are outside the boundary.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.957364-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04001013.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001013/ec61a8c3d9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001013/ec61a8c3d9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Elvert Barnes","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astor_Place_4_vc.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Elvert Barnes</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astor_Place_4_vc.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313927","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Place_station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2199564"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/astor-place-subway-station-irt-04001013/"}