Bonus: The Eagles of Brooklyn Bridge, 33rd Street, and 14th Street Subway Stations
The 33rd Street Subway station is decorated with eagles in recognition of the Seventy-First Regiment Armory. In 1894, the armory relocated to the southeast corner of 33rd Street and Park Avenue. That building burned down in 1902 and was rebuilt in 1905. It was modeled after the Palazzo Pubblico, Sienna’s Town Hall, and designed by Clinton and Russell. The armory was sadly demolished in the 1960s, but the eagles remain as a tribute. Since the eagles also appear in the 14th Street Subway Station and the Brooklyn Bridge Subway Station some people assume that this was because armories were located in the vicinity of those stations as well. However, this was not the case. According to Tracy Fitzpatrick in her book Art and the Subway: New York Underground, the eagles were merely recycled thereby confusing their meanings.
See some of these examples of original subway art on an upcoming Underground Art in the NYC Subway tour:
Underground NYC Subway Tour
Next, discover 10 of the most unique subway art installations in NYC from MTA Arts for Transit.