91st Street

91st Street was a station on the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line. It opened as part of the first subway and closed in 1959 when the platforms of 96th Street were extended.

Construction and Operations
91 St was part of the first New York subway, opened in 1904. Like most local stations on the line, it is just below street level to reduce stair height, so there is no mezzanine, and it has separate fare controls on platform level on each side. Its early history is similar to 18 Street and Worth St. Like other local stops, 91 St was originally about 200 feet long to accommodate five car trains. The platforms were extended in 1910.

At the completion of the IRT's H system in 1918, 91 St was on the west side route, known as the Seventh Ave subway. Unlike stations south of Grand Central, the local stations along Broadway were not extended in 1948 but stayed at their short length until the Transit Authority's extension program of the mid 1950's. At that time, it was decided that with 96 St being extended as far as 94 St, a station at 91 St was no longer required, so it was closed in 1959. Like 18 St, 91 St is still at the old 1910 local station length.

A station at 91 St was provided solely to avoid a ten block stretch without stations. The neighboring stations were located at the wide crosstown streets 86 St and 96 St, which had no crosstown car or bus service in 1904, but which were considered to be likely candidates once the area became more developed. It was awkward because while ten blocks was a long distance, the resulting five blocks was closer than any interstation distance north of 33 St.

How to get there
Even though that 96th street station is closer to 91st street abandoned station, instead go to 86th street and walk there until you see the abandoned station platforms. Make sure to look both ways for trains and when a train is coming, find the emergency exit and stay there until the train has passed.