23rd Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)

For other uses, see 23rd Street.

23rd Street  ​
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Uptown platform
Station statistics
Address	East 23rd Street & Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Gramercy, Flatiron District
Coordinates	40.740169°N 73.98644°W / 40.740169; -73.98644
Division	A (IRT)
Line	IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Services	4  (late nights) ​   6  (all times) <6>  (weekdays until 8:45 p.m., peak direction)
Transit	New York City Bus: M1, M2, M3, M23 SBS, X2, X5, X14, X42 MTA Bus: BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, QM21
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	October 27, 1904 (1904-10-27)
Accessible	ADA-accessible
Opposite- direction transfer	No
Traffic
2023	5,409,296  13.5%
Rank	47 out of 423
Station succession
Next north	Template:NYCS next
Next south	Template:NYCS next Template:NYCS next
Location
Street map
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops late nights only Stops rush hours in the peak direction only

23rd Street is a local station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Park Avenue South and 23rd Street in Manhattan, it is served by 6 trains at all times, <6> trains during weekdays in the peak direction, and 4 trains during late night hours.

History

Track layout
to 28 St to 14 St

Construction started on the first IRT line in 1900. The part of the line from City Hall to just south of 42nd Street was part of the original IRT line, opened on October 27, 1904 including a local station at 23rd Street.

On April 13, 1948, the platform extensions to accommodate ten-car trains at this station along with those at 28th Street, and 33rd Street were opened for use.

In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.

As of late 2014, construction is ongoing to install elevators in the station. To make room for the elevator that will serve the Northbound platform, the Northbound staircase on the northeastern corner of Park Avenue and 23rd Street had to be demolished, and rebuilt/relocated a few feet down the street. The relocated staircase opened in August 2015. The construction is expected to be completed in August 2016.

Station layout

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance Elevators at northeast corner of 23rd Street and Park Avenue South for northbound ​ service, and at northwest corner for southbound ​ service
Platform level	Side platform
	Northbound local	← toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street ([[{{{prev}}} ({{{line}}})|{{{prev}}}]]) ← toward Wakefield–241st Street late nights ([[{{{prev}}} ({{{line}}})|{{{prev}}}]])
	Northbound express	← do not stop here
	Southbound express	→ do not stop here →
	Southbound local	→ toward South Ferry ([[{{{prev}}} ({{{line}}})|{{{prev}}}]]) → → toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College late nights ([[{{{prev}}} ({{{line}}})|{{{prev}}}]]) →
	Side platform

This is a typical local station with four tracks and two side platforms. During station renovations in 1988, the beige tiles were removed and the original white ones restored. It has IND-style signs indicating the way to 22nd and 23rd Streets. An ornate fare control grille on the southbound side is a piece of artwork entitled Long Division by artist Valerie Jaudon, which was installed during the renovation. The station features a back-lit "23rd Street/Park Avenue South" sign at the platform level fare control. There is a low tiled wall at the 22nd Street end which is probably a remnant of a closed crossunder.

The station features modern features such as emergency communication systems, vendors on both south and north bound sides, and Wi-Fi, connecting the communications system with the NYPD Emergency direct line. The station does not contain restrooms.

Exits

Exit location	Number of exits	Platform served
320 Park Avenue South (west side between 23rd and 24th Streets)	1	Southbound (open 7am – 7pm, weekdays)
NW corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street, in the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower	1	Southbound
SW corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street	2	Southbound
NE corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street	1	Northbound
SE corner of Park Avenue S and 23rd Street	2	Northbound
NW corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street	1	Southbound
SW corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street	1	Southbound
NE corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street	1	Northbound
SE corner of Park Avenue S and 22nd Street	1	Northbound

Image gallery

• 
  Entrance kiosks that used to exist
• 
  Mosaics with name and frieze
• 
  Faience ceiling moldings
• 
  A narrow entrance to the Northbound side
• 
  Relocated Northbound staircase under construction in July 2015
• 
  Relocated Northbound staircase, with construction of the elevator in the background

External links

• nycsubway.org – IRT East Side Line: 23rd Street
• Station Reporter — 6 Train
• Forgotten NY — Original 28 - NYC's First 28 Subway Stations
• MTA's Arts For Transit — 23rd Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)
• 23rd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 22nd Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View