Subway Tile, detail, 116th St. (image: Paul Lowry)
My plan is to look at the development of the subway in Morningside Heights. The date ranges for our overall project have shifted several times, as we move the project forward. Currently, I believe we've defined the date range as ca. 1820-1950, so, that will provide ample range to investigate the transformative effects of the arrival of the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), which opened in 1904. One resource that I'm very much looking forward to consulting is the (perhaps somewhat obsessive) series of books on the history of the subway and individual subway stations, 'Silver Connections' by Philip Ashforth Coppola (a.k.a. Philip Copp). The series is self-published, ongoing, and available in limited copies. Luckily for me, Avery holds a copy: http://clio.cul.columbia.edu:7018/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=314585. The books include detailed illustrations by the author, highlighting many architectural details from subway stations, and is an attempt to describe the entire NYC subway system. If ever there was a 'work in progress', this must be it!
