Halsey J Station Gets Colored Glass Love
One of the first times I took the J train out to the Halsey station, one of the many reasons I felt like I had stepped off the map was the station itself. All the stations prior to it (and after it if you get to Broadway Junction) have decorative colored glass panels adorning the platforms. Halsey had no such thing, favoring beige-painted solid walls, interrupted only by a small section of chain-link fencing at one end (and there’s probably some code thing that insists on this). Because of this disparity, Halsey seemed especially forlorn, like the MTA just didn’t care enough about our little stop.
Of course, now that I’ve lived here a couple years, I don’t even notice the walls, unless somebody’s tagged it. I’ve seen far more depressing stations than mine (several on the M line in mid-Bushwick are particularly uninspiring), and I would rather the MTA spent its money fixing the inside of the station (where water tends to pool deeply around the Metrocard vending machines when it rains) rather than give us something purely cosmetic.
But since none of that seems to be happening any time soon, I’m happy to see our station upgraded to the level of, say, the Kosciuszko station. The panels look very lovely, and the other people on the platform seemed to be pleased by it as well. Is it a sign of increased gentrification here? Or did the MTA just have a lot of leftover panels lying around and they needed the storage space (I note that the panels are all different, unlike most other stations). Probably no special agenda here, I’ll know gentrification has stuck on Halsey when the Rite Aid actually stocks things properly.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I’m pretty sure they had planned this for a while — I bet the artists just finished recently. I don’t think gentrification matters when it comes to public works, though I guess more uppity people squeaking in theory could get more grease.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I love the STAINED glass love at J line stations. I took a picture of one and use it as my phone home page. Regarding that disgusting Halsey Rite Aid, every time I think they’re trying to straighten it up it seems to lapse back into its ghetto chic self - baron shelves with merchandise piled high in the walking aisles - almost as if to assure it remains “gentrification proof”!
July 14th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
everyone is always hating on poor rite aid
July 16th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Earlier today I stopped by a Ridgewood Rite Aid (on Fresh Pond Rd) and found it to be well-stocked, tidy and efficient/friendly when I checked out. The manager at the Halsey location needs to be trained and must take responsibility for this store or be satisfied with competing with the local $.99 stores and prepared to loose gentrifiers to the soon-to-open Wallgreens at Gates.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Good ol Halsey Street station finally getting a botox treatment. The city leaders are desparately trying to lead us to believe they’re renovating the station by adorning it with colorful band aids. What next? A giant umbrella to stop the rain from flooding the station especially around the metrocard machine?