59th street | Lexington Avenue Station

MTA New York City Transit | New York, New York

This transfer station is the system’s fourth largest in daily passenger volume and has levels built over time to connect the 4/5/6 and N/R/W subway lines. The design provides for reorganization of the local IRT platform providing an expanded booth/fare array and better platform circulation. All lines received restoration/replication of wall tile/plaques; introduction of new floor tile, lighting and communications systems; rerouting of station power/utilities lines; and repair of station ventilators.

Commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit, Blooming is artist Elizabeth Murray’s art for the station. Her fanciful vision guides passengers from the lowest level express platforms to the local platforms through a mezzanine of floor to ceiling glass mosaic images that playfully wrap around corners and move down steps. From the tree evoking Bloomingdale’s farm, to stepping shoes and steaming coffee cups, the work suggests the ritual of a subway trip. Quotations from poets Gwendolyn Brooks and W.B. Yeats within the mosaics inspire thoughts about passage.

As the Associate and project architect for Prentice & Chan Ohlhausen, Ann Marie Baranowski AIA was responsible for managing the project from schematic design through contract documents for the entire consultant team and working closely with the artist.