A discordant symphony of iron and steam. That’s how some might have described the 6th & 14th St El 1881. Let’s journey back to when the Sixth Avenue El dominated the city’s landscape.
The Sixth Avenue Elevated, or Sixth Avenue El, was Manhattan’s second elevated railway. It followed the Ninth Avenue Elevated. The El dramatically reshaped life in neighborhoods like Greenwich Village.
Picture this you are standing where 14th Street meets Sixth Avenue in 1881. Above you the newly connected Sixth Avenue El rumbles. It connects to the Ninth Avenue El. It’s a 24/7 operation.
The Gilbert Elevated Railway built the El in the 1870s. It later became the Metropolitan Elevated Railway. On June 5 1878 the line opened between Rector Street and 58th Street. In 1881 the line connected to the Ninth Avenue Elevated. The El joined at Morris Street in the south and 53rd Street in the north.
Imagine the sights sounds and even smells of this elevated railway. The Sixth Avenue El attracted artists like John French Sloan and Francis Criss. They captured its gritty beauty in their paintings. The El’s central location drew many riders.
The Sixth Avenue El ran local and express services. In 1934 the 6th Avenue Local ran from South Ferry to 155th Street. It extended to Burnside Avenue on weekday and Saturday evenings. The 6th Avenue Express ran from Rector Street to Burnside Avenue. Trains ran express on Ninth Avenue southbound in the morning. They ran northbound in the evening making all stops in the reverse direction.
Life near the Sixth Avenue El wasn’t easy. It was noisy shaking nearby buildings. In its early years it dropped ash oil and cinders onto pedestrians below. Commercial establishments and building owners campaigned for its removal. They argued it depressed business and property values.
The city started building the underground Sixth Avenue Line in 1936. This was part of the Independent Subway System or IND. The plan combined three private subway companies into one system. The IRT Sixth Avenue elevated would be demolished.
In 1938 the city acquired the Sixth Avenue El from bondholders for $12500000. The city recovered $9010656 in back taxes and interest. The El closed on December 4 1938. It was torn down in 1939. The IND line opened beneath Sixth Avenue in December 1940.
There were allegations that scrap metal from the El’s demolition was sold to Japan. Contractor Tom Harris provided affidavits denying this. He said none of the iron would leave the United States. Despite these assurances rumors persisted. The New York Times reported that even if the scrap didn’t go directly to Japan it would free up metal to be sent there.
The Sixth Avenue El had several stations including one at 14th Street. Other stops included 59th Street 58th Street 50th Street and 42nd Street. These stations served countless New Yorkers. They shaped the city’s growth.
Today no physical trace of the Sixth Avenue El exists at 6th & 14th St. But its legacy lives on in stories art and the city’s ever evolving transit system. The El represents a bygone era of New York City’s transportation history.