[50th Street Station: IRT West Side / Seventh Avenue Line]
Breaking up pavement to begin construction of the east wing of 50th Street Station on the IRT West Side / Seventh Avenue Line. View north from the south sidewalk.
New York Transit MuseumConstruction on the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line's 50th Street Station, outside the American Horse Exchange building, July 14, 1902.
William K. Vanderbilt built the American Horse Exchange in 1881, creating a massive full-block hub for the city's elite to quite literally horse trade. An 1896 fire caused extensive damage to the structure, killing 60 horses.
Vanderbilt restored the exchange and in 1910 leased it to the Shubert family, who converted the property into the Winter Garden Theatre, today known as the venue where "Cats" had its 18-year run.
Urban Archive