March 29, 1904

THE CUT AND COVER method of construction is illustrated very clearly in this photo of the 116 Street / Columbia University Station, which was taken almost exactly seven months before the opening of the IRT. The dates of completion of the stations varied widely; while 59 Street and 28 Street were finished early on, others had their finishing touches applied not too far from the October 27, 1904 opening of the subway. This section of the subway along upper Broadway contained three tracks; the center track is now used for the 1/9 skip-stop service in upper Manhattan, and is used for storage sometimes closer to 96 Street. Columbia moved to its new Morningside Heights campus not too long before the IRT opened. William Barclay Parsons, the IRT's Chief Engineer, was a graduate of Columbia, so he surely wanted his alma mater's station to be impressive. The color scheme is dominated by blue, and terra cotta versions of the university's seal line the upper part of the walls, between the name panels. By looking up through the grates between the tracks while standing on the platform, some of Columbia's buildings may be seen. Passengers once entered the station through an entrance house, like that at 72 Street. It has been subsequently removed, and the entrances rearranged.