New York City boasts 468 subway stations, and many more entrances. In the past, we have covered how businesses have creatively occupied stations to provide unexpected services like hair cuts, or having your keys made.
This week, we’re calling out the Bushwick Ave-Aberdeen Street stop off the L train. Usually, small businesses house their services within a station, but at this stop, the subway entrance itself is housed between two used car dealerships. The station was built in 1928, but the two plots around it were approved for automotive sales and services in 1946.
So why haven’t these car dealerships been cleared for trendy apartments and lofts like the rest of Bushwick? Perhaps because the Bushwick-Aberdeen train station is located in a region zoned as a C8-1 Commercial District. According to the Department of City Planning, these regions are designated for “commercial and manufacturing uses that often require large amounts of land.” Uses can include “automobile showrooms and repair shops, warehouses, gas stations and car washes.”
Right east of this zone lies a M1 Manufacturing District Zone, where the borders of Bushwick, East New York, and Bed Stuy meet at Broadway-Junction, a major subway hub that connects the A, J, C, and L trains. The M1 zone is designated for “light industrial uses, such as woodworking shops, repair shops, and wholesale service and storage facilities.” From the L train platform, you can view an example of this in the massive East New York Yard where the J, M, Z and L trains are stored and repaired.
Perhaps the surrounding area’s lack of residential opportunities explains why subway ridership at the Bushwick-Aberdeen Station ranked 403 out of 421 in 2013. Still, it can’t hurt to have a business near a train station that potential customers pass by every day. Perhaps these businesses have hopes that commuters can be lured into purchasing that 2007 Toyota Camry to forgo a crowded train ride to work. We’re not sure if even a car could compete with those high-speed aerial gondolas, though.
Check out our extensive coverage of the New York City subways, including the Top 12 Secrets of the NYC Subway and the 14 Beautiful Vintage Subway Entrances. h/t to Time Out NY for this find.
If you have any New York City subway finds, share them with Anna Brown via her Twitter handle @brooklynbonanza.