9th Avenue Station (Dual System BRT)
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Located at 38th Street and 9th Avenue in Brooklyn's Sunset Park, this subway station was built in 1914 and opened in 1916 as part of Contract 4 of the Dual System BRT. It serves the West End Line and has two track levels, an open-cut upper platform and a subterranean platform that carried Culver Line trains until 1975. A single-story control house with buff yellow brick, blue and green terra cotta friezes and mosaic interior details shows the Arts and Crafts style, and the platforms are shaded by arched steel canopies. The station was designed by Squire J. Vickers, with Alfred Craven as chief engineer. Excavating the deep Culver Cut to hold two stacked track levels was a major undertaking. The station became a junction for four lines and supported population growth in Sunset Park, near the Bush Terminal and Brooklyn Army Terminal. It retains a relatively high degree of integrity, though the control house shows deterioration.
Significance in brief: The station is significant under Criterion A for transportation, community planning and development, and social history, because it was a major junction that supported the growth of Sunset Park. It also meets Criterion C for engineering and architectural design, shown by its Arts and Crafts details and arched platform canopy. It was designed by Dual System chief architect Squire J. Vickers and retains a relatively high degree of integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000676, listed July 6, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 38th St. and 9th Ave. near the jct. of New Utrecht Ave., Brooklyn |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | July 6, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000676 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1914-1916 |
| Architect / builder | Craven, Alfred (engineer); Vickers, Squire J. (architects) |
| Architectural style | Other: Arts and Crafts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture, Engineering, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The station is still in use for D and M train service. The lower Culver Line platform has been closed to the public since 1975. The control house has been modified but remains essentially intact, with the cornice and gutters missing from about three-quarters of the building and some cracking in the terra cotta. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.64642, -73.99441 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000676.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2439660
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.