Grand Army Plaza station

Construction and opening

After the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s original line opened as far as Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the New York City government began planning new lines. As early as 1903, William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission, had proposed constructing a four-track extension of the IRT line under Flatbush Avenue, running southeast from Atlantic Avenue to Grand Army Plaza. From there, two branches would have extended south to Flatbush and east to Brownsville. This plan did not progress for a decade due to various disputes over the original subway.^[3]: 150 In 1913, New York City, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), and the IRT reached an agreement, known as the Dual Contracts, to drastically expand subway service across New York City.^[4] As part of the Dual Contracts, two lines under Flatbush Avenue, one each operated by the BRT and IRT, were approved.^{[5]: 203–219 [4]} The IRT was authorized to extend its four-track Brooklyn line under Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway,^[4] while the BRT would construct a parallel two-track extension of the Brighton Line.^[6]

Groundbreaking for the IRT extension took place on May 23, 1914.^[7][8] The Prospect Park Plaza station, at Grand Army Plaza was to be one of the stations on the IRT extension.^[8] The Grand Army Plaza station was built as part of section 1A of the Eastern Parkway Line, stretching between the plaza and St. Mark's Avenue. The Cranford Company received a construction contract for this section in March 1914 after making a low bid of about $2.2 million.^[8][9] The project involved digging under Grand Army Plaza, near the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch.^[10]

Service on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line had been extended from Atlantic Avenue to Utica Avenue in August 1920,^[11] but the Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, and Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum stations were not ready to open with the rest of the line.^[12][13] The contractor responsible for completing the three stations had gone bankrupt in the middle of the project.^[13] The stations opened on October 9, 1920.^[12][14] The BMT Brighton Line was already in use at the time but used trackage that is now part of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle; the opening of the subway line beneath Flatbush Avenue provided a more direct route to Downtown Brooklyn and, eventually, Manhattan.^[12][14] The station was originally known as the Prospect Park Plaza station, but it was renamed in 1926 when the plaza itself was rededicated as Grand Army Plaza.^[15]

Later years

The construction of the station and tunnels resulted in the removal of Frederic W. Darlington's 1897 Electric Fountain^[16] from the center of Grand Army Plaza, which was dug up for the cut-and-cover construction and replaced with a grass oval. Planning for a new fountain, known as the Bailey Fountain, began in 1928,^[17] and it was completed in 1932.^[18]

During the 1964–1965 fiscal year, the platforms at Grand Army Plaza, along with those at four other stations on the Eastern Parkway Line, were lengthened to 525 feet (160 m) to accommodate a ten-car train of 51 foot (16 m) IRT cars.^[19][20] The work was performed by the Arthur A. Johnson Corporation.^[20] In April 1993, the New York State Legislature agreed to give the MTA $9.6 billion for capital improvements. Some of the funds would be used to renovate nearly one hundred New York City Subway stations,^[21][22] including Grand Army Plaza.^[23] The renovation was completed in 1996.^[24]

In May 2025, a temporary art installation called "Rex's Dino Store" opened inside a vacant storefront at the station. Created by the artists Sarah Cassidy and Akiva Leffert, the installation mimics a bodega with dinosaur-themed products.^[25][26] In July 2025, the MTA announced that it would install elevators at 12 stations, including the Grand Army Plaza station, as part of its 2025–2029 capital program. The elevators would make the station fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.^[27][28]

Exits

The station has four entrances and exits, all of which are staircases:^[42]

• 2 on the northeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street East
• 1 on the southwest corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street West
• 1 on the southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Plaza Street West