Court Street – Borough Hall (New York City Subway)

Court Street – Borough Hall
New York City Subway rapid transit station complex
Station statistics
Address	Court Street between Joralemon Street & Montague Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Borough	Brooklyn
Locale	Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights
Coordinates
Division	A (IRT), B (BMT)
Line	BMT Fourth Avenue Line       IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line IRT Eastern Parkway Line
Services	2  (all times)       3  (all except late nights)       4  (all times)       5  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m.)       N  (late nights)       R  (all except late nights)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52 MTA Bus: B103
Levels	3
Other information
Opened	July 1, 1948
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	11,474,717 (station complex)  1.6%
Rank	27 out of 421
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times Stops weekdays only Stops late nights only

Court Street – Borough Hall is an underground New York City Subway station complex shared by the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line and the IRT Eastern Parkway Line. The station is named Borough Hall on the IRT lines and Court Street on the BMT. Located at the intersection of Court, Joralemon and Montague Streets at the border of Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights, it is served by the:

• 2 and 4 trains at all times
• 3 and R trains at all times except late nights
• 5 train weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
• N train during late nights only

IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line platforms

Borough Hall
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Manhattan-bound train arriving
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line
Services	2  (all times)       3  (all except late nights)
Structure	Underground
Levels	2
Platforms	2 side platforms (1 on each level)
Tracks	2 (1 on each level)
Other information
Opened	April 15, 1919 (1919-04-15)
Accessible
Station succession
Next north	Clark Street: 2  3
Next south	Hoyt Street: 2  3
Next north	Fulton Street: 2  3
Next south	Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center: 2  3
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops all times

Station identification mosaic

Borough Hall on the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line, opened on April 15, 1919, has two levels. Each level has one track with a side platform on the south side. Manhattan-bound trains use the upper level while southbound trains use the lower one.

Both platforms have their original IRT trim line and name tablets reading "BOROUGH HALL" in a serif lettering style. Tablets showing images of Borough Hall run at regular intervals on the trim line. Dark blue I-beam columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering.

The fare control for this section of the station complex is at the west (railroad north) end of the platforms. A staircase from the lower level goes up to the upper level before another staircase goes up to the mezzanine. The lower level also has an up-only escalator that bypasses the upper level, leading directly to the mezzanine. A single elevator stopping at all three levels makes this part of the complex ADA-accessible. The mezzanine has a passageway leading to the BMT platform and two public restrooms inside fare control. Outside the turnstile bank that provides entrance/exit from the station, there is a token booth, two staircases going up to the southeast corner of Court and Montague Streets, and a staircase and elevator going up to Columbus Park, the entrance plaza of Borough Hall, on the east side of Court Street.

At the eastern (railroad south) end of the platforms, a staircase from the lower level goes up to the upper level, where a passageway connects to the Manhattan-bound platform of the IRT Eastern Parkway Line section of the complex. Southbound, the two tracks of this section become the local tracks of the Eastern Parkway Line.

IRT Eastern Parkway Line platforms

Borough Hall
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Eastern Parkway Line
Services	4  (all times)       5  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m.)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	May 1, 1908 (1908-05-01)
Accessible	(northbound only)
Station succession
Next north	Bowling Green: 4  5
Next south	Nevins Street: 4  5
Next north	Bowling Green: 4  5
Next south	none; station not accessible southbound (Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center: 4  5 )
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays only
Borough Hall Subway Station (IRT)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	New York City Subway System MPS
NRHP Reference #	04001022
Added to NRHP	September 17, 2004

Station identification mosaic and cartouches

Borough Hall on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line has two tracks and two side platforms. This was the first underground subway station in Brooklyn, opened on May 1, 1908, as the terminal for the extension of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line from Lower Manhattan. It provided easy access to the BRT elevated Fulton Street Line and Myrtle Avenue Line, although a separate fare had to be paid.

Both platforms have their original terra-cotta wall reliefs and name tablets reading "BOROUGH HALL" in sans serif lettering. "BH" tablets run along the reliefs at regular intervals. At the extreme east (railroad south) end of the platforms, where they were extended in the 1950s to accommodate the current standard "A" Division train length, there is a brown trim line on beige tiles with "BOROUGH HALL" in white sans serif lettering. Narrow I-beam columns painted in dark green run along both platforms at regular intervals.

The main fare control area is at the center of the platforms and tracks. Two overpasses connect the two platforms with two staircases to each of them. On the Manhattan-bound side, the overpasses have full height turnstiles leading to an unstaffed mezzanine and two staircases going up to the northeast corner of Court and Joralemon Streets. On the southbound side, the overpasses have small turnstile banks leading to a mezzanine that has a token booth and two staircases going up to the southeast corner of Court and Joralemon Streets. The banisters on these staircases are made of concrete since they are outside the Brooklyn Municipal Building. The mezzanine has a large set of doors leading into the building (this entrance was closed in February 1996 due to security concerns), a plaque commemorating the subway's arrival in Brooklyn, and a now defunct bank teller window. An overpass between the two platforms connects the two mezzanine areas.

This section of the station complex has an unstaffed fare control area at the extreme north (geographical west) end. A single staircase from each platform goes up to a crossover, where a turnstile bank and two exit-only turnstiles provide entrance/exit from the station. Outside fare control, two staircases go up to either western corners of Livingston and Court Streets.

The Manhattan-bound platform has a passageway leading to the Manhattan-bound platform of the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line section of the complex at the east (railroad south) end. As a result, only this platform is ADA-accessible.

Railroad south (compass east) of this station, the two tracks become the express tracks of the IRT Eastern Parkway Line and the two tracks of the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line become the local tracks. As a result, Manhattan-bound trains on that line can be seen from the eastern end of the platforms as they turn away into their own tunnel.

The Borough Hall IRT Eastern Parkway Line station has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 17, 2004.

Image gallery

• 

  Station entrance at Columbus Park with view of Brooklyn Borough Hall, before the M train was rerouted.

• 

  The street elevator only connects with the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line and the northbound platform of the IRT Eastern Parkway Line.

• 

  An R142A train at Borough Hall, bound for Crown Heights – Utica Avenue.

BMT Fourth Avenue Line platform

Court Street
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Southbound train approaching
Station statistics
Division	B (BMT)
Line	BMT Fourth Avenue Line
Services	N  (late nights)       R  (all except late nights)
Structure	Underground
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Other information
Opened	March 11, 1920 (1920-03-11)
Station succession
Next north	Whitehall Street – South Ferry (Broadway): N  R  Broad Street (Nassau Street): no regular service
Next south	Jay Street – MetroTech: N  R
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times except late nights Stops late nights only

Court Street is a local station on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line, opened on March 11, 1920 is a very deep station with two tracks and a single island platform. Due to the depth, both track walls are curved; they also still have their original Dual Contracts mosaic tablets and trim line. The name tablets have "COURT ST." in serif lettering, and tablets showing scenes of Borough Hall run along the trim line at regular intervals. The western end (railroad north) of the walls are plain white.

Yellow i-beam columns run along both sides of the island platform at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering. Some of these show the name "Carnegie", from Carnegie Steel (predecessor of United States Steel).

At the east (railroad south) end of the platform, two staircases go up a landing, where two staircases and two escalators go up to a passageway that leads to the fare control area of the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line. At the west (railroad north) of the platform, a single staircase goes up to a landing where two elevators and an emergency staircase that is commonly opened for public use go up to a mezzanine. The elevator banks here have two pairs of doors to each elevator car. The mezzanine has a part-time turnstile bank and customer assistance booth (full height turnstiles provide entrance/exit from the station at all times) and two staircases going up to either western corners of Montague and Clinton Streets. The northwest staircase has an antique "SUBWAY" white and green globe sign since it is in the front yard of St. Ann's and Holy Trinity Church (the mezzanine has a mosaic sign with the church's name on it) while the southwest staircase is next to the basement entrance of a Kiddie Korner daycare.

This portion of the complex is not ADA-accessible as there are no elevators from the platform going to fare control. The elevator from the street to fare control is only for the services at the IRT stations.

To the west of the station, the line goes through the Montague Street Tunnel under the East River to connect to the BMT Broadway Line and the BMT Nassau Street Line. Currently, all trains use the former connection. The latter connection has been unused since the rerouting of the M train in June 2010.

Image gallery

• 

  Mosaics on the track wall

• 

  An train arrives at the station

• 

  An elevator to the Clinton Street mezzanine

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent (Elevator in front of Supreme Court Building at Court Street and Montague Street for and northbound )
B2	Northbound local	← toward Wakefield – 241st Street (Clark Street) ← toward Harlem – 148th Street (Clark Street)
	Side platform, doors will open on the left
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Northbound express	← toward Woodlawn (Bowling Green) ← toward Dyre Avenue weekdays till 8:45pm, Nereid Avenue PM rush hour (Bowling Green)
	Southbound express	→ toward Utica Avenue (New Lots Avenue late nights) (Nevins Street) → → toward Flatbush Avenue weekdays till 8:45pm (Nevins Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
B3	Southbound local	→ toward Flatbush Avenue (Hoyt Street) → → toward New Lots Avenue (Hoyt Street) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
B4	Northbound	← toward 71st Avenue ( toward Ditmars Boulevard late nights) (Whitehall Street) (No regular service: Broad Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Southbound	→ toward 95th Street ( toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue late nights) (Jay Street – MetroTech) →

Surface connections

In 1916, a single-track counterclockwise trolley loop was built around Borough Hall with both ends at Joralemon Street and access from westbound Fulton Street to the loop and from the loop to southbound Court Street. Passengers on lines that used the loop, Court Street, or Fulton Street could transfer to the entrance of this station complex bounded by those two streets and the loop, north of Borough Hall. The lines that used this loop included:

• Flatbush–Prospect Park Line to Prospect Park
• Flatbush–Seventh Avenue Line to Greenwood Cemetery and the Ninth Avenue Depot
• Hicks Street Line to Erie Basin
• Rogers Avenue Line to Flatbush
• St. Johns Place Line to Ocean Hill
• Third Avenue Line to Fort Hamilton
• 16th Avenue Line to New Utrecht

There were other lines that passed Borough Hall and thus served the station. On Court Street, such lines included:

• Court Street Line to Gowanus
• Flatbush Avenue Line to Bergen Beach
• Greenpoint Line to Greenpoint (also on Joralemon Street)
• Montague Street Line to Wall Street Ferry
• Union Street Line to Greenwood Cemetery, Ninth Avenue Depot, and Coney Island

On Fulton Street:

• DeKalb Avenue Line to Ridgewood
• Fulton Street Line to Cypress Hills
• Greene and Gates Avenues Line to Ridgewood
• Myrtle Avenue Line to Ridgewood
• Putnam Avenue Line to Ridgewood

On Joralemon Street:

• Crosstown Line to Erie Basin and Long Island City
• Erie Basin Line to Erie Basin

On April 7, 1930, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation eliminated the loop to relieve congestion. Several lines were moved to a loop on Washington Street north of Tillary Street or a clockwise loop on Livingston Street, Court Street, Joralemon Street, Fulton Street, and Boerum Place.

Further reading

• Lee Stokey. Subway Ceramics : A History and Iconography. 1994. ISBN 978-0-9635486-1-0

External links

• nycsubway.org—Brooklyn IRT: Borough Hall (West Side Branch)
• nycsubway.org—Brooklyn IRT: Borough Hall (East Side Branch)
• nycsubway.org—BMT Broadway Subway: Court Street
• nycsubway.org—Brooklyn IRT Contract 2 map: Map 1 (includes current and former track configurations, and provisions for future connections)
• Station Reporter — Court Street–Borough Hall Complex
• The Subway Nut — Court Street (M,R) Pictures
• The Subway Nut — Borough Hall (2,3) Pictures
• The Subway Nut — Borough Hall (4,5) Pictures
• Court Street / Cadman Plaza West and Montague Street entrance to Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• entrance and elevator in Columbus Park from Google Maps Street View
• Clinton Street and Montague Street entrance to Fourth Avenue Line from Google Maps Street View
• Joralemon Street and Court Street entrance to Eastern Parkway Line from Google Maps Street View