33rd Street Subway Station (IRT)
Why it's listed
Beneath Park Avenue at 33rd Street in Manhattan's Kips Bay lies a subway station opened in 1904 as part of the first Interborough Rapid Transit line. Built by the cut-and-cover method, it has two side platforms about 200 feet long and a steel and concrete frame. Its walls keep much of their original white glass tile, Roman brick wainscoting, mosaic name tablets and faience plaques. The plaques show stylized eagles holding shields marked 33, recalling the 71st Regiment Armory that once stood nearby. Engineer William Barclay Parsons handled the structure, while the firm Heins & LaFarge designed the architecture and decoration in the spirit of the City Beautiful movement. Original security gates and plaster ceiling moldings also survive, though modern ticket booths and turnstiles have been added. The station is recognized for its engineering, design and artistry, and for its role in Kips Bay's growth into a residential and major medical neighborhood once the subway made the area accessible.
Significance in brief: The station is significant under Criterion A for transportation, community planning and development, and social history, and under Criterion C for engineering, architectural design and art. It retains a relatively high degree of integrity and displays high-quality original tile, faience and mosaic decoration by Heins & LaFarge. It also helped drive the development of Kips Bay as a residential and medical neighborhood.
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 04001014, listed September 17, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 33rd St. and Park Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | September 17, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001014 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1904 |
| Architect / builder | Parsons, William Barclay (engineer); Heins, George L. and LaFarge, Christopher G. (architects) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Beaux-Arts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture, Art, Engineering, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | National, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still an operating subway station; faience plaques were recently refurbished, and modern ticket booths, turnstiles and lighting have been added alongside original features. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.74817, -73.98166 (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 04001014.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2224706
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.