Fulton Street Subway Station Terra Cotta

Saving Place_MCNY_NYC_Untapped Cities_bhushan mondkar-004From the exhibition Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks

As Fulton Center was being planned and built, the subway station below was undergoing renovation. As we covered previously, the terra cotta details in this station were an important piece of the conservation work. The Beaux-Arts ornamentation to beautify the subway stations were once a way to make the underground hospitable, comforting and impressive to the city’s commuters, many who were afraid of the “unnaturalness” of underground travel initially. This original faience element was produced by Rookwood Pottery.

Saving Place_MCNY_NYC_Untapped Cities_bhushan mondkar-005From the exhibition Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks

The Fulton Street subway also has remnants of its own, terra cotta murals salvaged from the Hotel McAlpin in Herald Square, along with a cast iron gate.