Times Square-42nd Street Subway Station
Why it's listed
Beneath the intersection of 42nd Street, Broadway and Seventh Avenue lies a subway complex built in stages between 1904 and 1927. It joins four stations at different depths: the original IRT station now used by the Shuttle, the Seventh Avenue IRT line, the Broadway BMT line and the Flushing Line, the deepest at 60 feet. Construction used steel columns, concrete roofs and brick-backed walls finished in white tile with mosaic bands, including Arts and Crafts borders and station markers such as "42" and "TS". The station opened in 1904 as a local stop on the first IRT line. The New York Times moved its offices to the area, and Times Square grew into a commercial and theatre district. The complex is believed to be the busiest subway station in the world. A 2003 renovation removed much original decoration near the Shuttle, but the other sections keep largely intact mosaics and craftsmanship, supporting its listing for transportation, planning, social history, engineering, architecture and art.
Significance in brief: The nomination finds it significant under Criterion A for transportation, community planning and development, and social history, and under Criterion C for engineering, architecture and art. It is described as one of the subway system's most complex and historically important stations, and is believed to be the busiest subway station in the world. It also helped spark the growth of the Times Square district.
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 04001016, listed September 17, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of West 42nd St, and Broadway/Seventh Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | September 17, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001016 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1904-1927 |
| Architect / builder | Parsons, William Barclay (engineer); Heins, George L. and LaFarge, Christopher G. (architects); Craven, Alfred (engineer); Turner, Daniel (engineer); Vickers, Squire J. (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals/Beaux-Arts; Other/Arts and Crafts |
| 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 in use as a subway station; the Shuttle area lost much original decoration in a 2003 renovation, while the other three sections retain largely intact wall mosaics. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Within district | Garment Center Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.75544, -73.98696 (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 04001016.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q11265
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.