Control house

IRT control house at Bowling Green, opened 1905

A control house, within the context of the New York City Subway, refers to the buildings that serve as station entrances. They were built and are still used in locations where a simple staircase or kiosk was not desired. During design and construction of the IRT, the control houses were often the architectural focal point for the system, and were designed by Heins & LaFarge to be an attractive, exterior feature of the system that also suited their locations.

William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer for the New York Rapid Transit Commission, traveled to Boston in 1901 with Charles Lafarge, and was apparently inspired by the ornamental houses he saw used as entrances there.^[1] The control houses themselves, like other ground-level structures like the IRT Powerhouse and sub-stations, were typical examples of the Beaux-Arts style.

References

1. ^ Framberger, David J.. "Architectural Designs For New York's First Subway". Survey Number HAER NY-122, pp. 365-412. National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington, DC. 20240. http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/haer-design-architectural.html. Retrieved 26 December 2010.