IND Station Tile Colors
From nycsubway.org
This list is grouped by "color family", i.e. the five primary colors used in the IND subway: red, yellow, green, blue and purple. Color names are taken from paint chips and Berol Prismacolor (tm) pencils.
As you go away from downtown Manhattan, whether uptown or towards Brooklyn, the colors change each time an express station is reached. Thereafter, all the local stations have the same color (or color group) tiles as the preceding express station. This presumably was intended to serve as a means for helping passengers to remember where to change for the local on the way home from work.
Since the 'G' line skirts Manhattan, and could thus be said to point away from Manhattan in both directions, all stations from Court Square to Fulton Street have tiles with the same color group, namely green. Three different shades of green exist in this section.
Color Chart of Stations on Independent Lines. (New York Transit Museum).
Station | Band Color | Border Color | Tile Height | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Red Family | ||||
169th Street | Carmine Red | Black | 2 | |
Parsons Boulevard | Scarlet Red | Black | 3 | |
23rd Street-Ely Avenue | Scarlet Lake | Dark Brown | 2 | Note 1 |
5th Ave-53rd Street | Carmine Red | Crimson | 2 | Note 2 |
47th-50th Street | Scarlet Red | Dark Brown | 3 | |
42nd Street-6th Ave | Scarlet Red | Dark Brown | 3 | |
34th Street-Penn Station | Burgundy | Black | 2 | |
168th Street | Burgundy | Black | 2 | |
207th Street | Claret Red | Pearl Grey | 2 | Note 21 |
Tremont Avenue | Claret Red | Black | 3 | |
182nd-183rd Street | Claret Red | Black | 2 | |
Utica Avenue | Tuscan Red | Maroon | 3 | |
Ralph Avenue | Tuscan Red | Maroon | 2 | |
Rockaway Avenue | Tuscan Red | Maroon | 2 | |
Church Avenue | Burgundy | Maroon | 2 | |
Fulton Street (Nassau) | Tuscan red | Maroon | 2 | Notes 15,19 |
Yellow Family | ||||
Sutphin Boulevard | Sunshine Yellow | Black | 2 | |
Briarwood-Van Wyck Blvd | Corn Yellow | Black | 2 | |
Union Turnpike | Jasmine | Black | 3 | |
14th Street-8th Avenue | Mustard Yellow | Terra Cotta Brown | 2 | |
145th Street | Deep Yellow | Black | 2 | |
34th Street-6th Avenue | Deep Yellow | Yellow Ochre | 3 | Note 18 |
155th Street-8th Avenue | Deep Yellow | Black | 2 | |
161st Street-River Avenue | Mustard Yellow | Black | 2 | Note 3 |
167th Street | Spanish Orange | Black | 2 | |
170th Street | Spanish Orange | Black | 2 | |
174th-175th Street | Deep Yellow | Black | 2 | |
7th Avenue-Park Slope | Orange Yellow | Brown | 3 | Note 12 |
15th Street-Prospect Park | Orange Yellow | Brown | 3 | |
Fort Hamilton Parkway | Orange Yellow | Brown | 2 | |
Nostrand Avenue | Maize | Saddle Brown | 3 | |
Kingston-Throop Avenue | Maize | Saddle Brown | 2 | |
Broad Street | Deep Yellow | Saddle Brown | 3 | Notes 15,19 |
Green Family | ||||
75th Avenue | Light Green | Black | 2 | |
71st Avenue | Nile Green | Black | 3 | |
23rd Street-6th Avenue | Medium Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
14th Street-6th Avenue | Medium Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
West 4th Street | Grass Green | Chrome Green | 2 | |
125th Street | Marine Green | Black | 2 | |
Bedford Park Boulevard | Grass Green | Chrome Green | 3 | |
205th Street | Medium Light Green | Campus Green | 2 | |
Court Square | Hunter Green | Black | 2 | |
21st St-Van Alst | Hunter Green | Black | 2 | |
Greenpoint Avenue | Hunter Green | Black | 2 | |
Nassau Avenue | Hunter Green | Black | 2 | |
Metropolitan Ave-Grand Street | Nile Green | Black | 2 | |
Broadway | Nile Green | Black | 2 | |
Flushing Avenue | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Myrtle-Willoughby | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Bedford-Nostrand | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Classon Avenue | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Clinton-Wash.(Lafayette) | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Fulton Street | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Hoyt-Schermerhorn | Light Green | True Green | 2 | Note 4 |
Lafayette Avenue | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Clinton-Wash (Fulton) | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Franklin Avenue | Light Green | True Green | 2 | |
Grant Avenue | Bottle Green | Ice Green | Note 5 | |
Bergen Street | Bottle Green | Light Green | 2 | Note 6 |
Carroll Street | Lawn Green | Hunter Green | 2 | |
Blue Family | ||||
67th Avenue | Sky Blue | Black | 2 | |
63rd Drive | Sky Blue | Black | 2 | |
Woodhaven Boulevard | Cerulean Blue | Black | 2 | |
Grand Avenue | True Blue | Black | 2 | |
Elmhurst Avenue | True Blue | Black | 2 | |
Roosevelt Avenue | Violet Blue | Black | 2 | |
59th Street | Ultramarine Blue | Black | 2 | |
81st Street | Midnight Blue | Black | 1 | Notes 22, 23 |
Kingsbridge Road | Ultramarine Blue | Cobalt Blue | 3 | |
Spring Street | Ultramarine Blue | Cobalt Blue | 2 | Note 7 |
Canal Street | Royal Blue | Black | 3 | Note 8 |
Jay Street | Ultramarine Blue | Cobalt Blue | 2 | |
Broadway-Lafayette | Royal Blue | Black | 3 | Note 9 |
York Street | Cloud Blue | Periwinkle Blue | 1 | Note 10 |
Broadway-East New York | Blueberry | Delft Blue | 3 | |
Liberty Avenue | Cornflower Blue | Ultramarine Blue | 2 | |
Van Siclen Avenue | Cornflower Blue | Ultramarine Blue | 2 | |
Shepherd Avenue | Cornflower Blue | Ultramarine Blue | 2 | |
Court Street-Transit Museum | Aquamarine Blue | Royal Blue | 2 | |
8th Avenue-14th Street | Ultramarine Blue | Cobalt Blue | 2 | Note 15 |
Purple Family | ||||
179th Street | Violet | Black | Notes 5, 20 | |
65th Street | Mauve | Black | 2 | |
Northern Boulevard | Mauve | Black | 2 | |
46th Street | Grape | Black | 2 | |
Steinway Street | Grape | Black | 2 | |
36th Street | Grape | Black | 2 | |
Queens Plaza | Black Grape | Black | 3 | |
7th Avenue-53rd Street | Royal Purple | Black | Notes 16, 17 | |
42nd Street-8th Avenue | Orchid | Black | 2 | Note 11 |
Chambers Street-WTC | Blue Violet | Black | Note 13 | |
Chambers Street-WTC (H&M) | Concord Grape | Black | 3 | Note 14 |
Broadway-Nassau | Violet | Grape | 2 | |
High Street | Violet | Grape | 2 | |
Euclid Avenue | Lilac | Medium Violet | 3 | |
2nd Avenue | Medium Violet | Violet | 3 | |
Delancey Street | Lavender Blue | Grape | 2 | |
East Broadway | Lavender Blue | Black | 3 | |
Fordham Road | Grape | Plum | 3 | |
No Color | ||||
175th Street | ||||
Lexington Ave.-53rd St. | ||||
Color on Station Sign Only (sign background color) | ||||
200th-Dyckman Street | Burgundy | |||
190th-Overlook Terrace | Burgundy | |||
181st Street | Burgundy | |||
163rd Street-Amsterdam Ave | Orange Yellow | |||
155th Street | Orange Yellow | |||
135th Street | Marine Green | |||
116th Street | Midnight Blue | |||
110th Street | Midnight Blue | |||
96th Street | Midnight Blue | |||
86th Street | Midnight Blue | |||
72nd Street | Midnight Blue | |||
50th Street | Orchid | |||
23rd Street | Deep Yellow |
- Some tiles at east end city bound platform are "Crimson Lake"
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were marine green upstairs, maroon downstairs
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were yellow-orange and black
- Slight variant shades at east end platform wall
- Rectangular tiles, new style circa 1950's
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were the same as those at Carroll Street, but 3 tiles high.
- Replacement tiles at north end ultramarine blue, navy blue
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were ultramarine blue and cobalt blue
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were powder blue, true blue
- Faded by time from shades of violet - see East Broadway, Delancey St.,2nd Avenue.
- Replacement Tiles, original was orchid/black, have large white "42" superimposed on tile band
- Top border only is full tile height
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were plum/prune
- Replacement tile-prefab panels ("A" platform only)
- Not really an IND station. Dual contract opened 1931, built in IND style.
- Replacement tiles. Original tiles were dark violet and black
- Replacement tiles do not use full 4 1/4" squares, use six smaller ones.
- Replaced early 90s with non-traditional IND motif
- Replaced 1995 with traditional BMT tiles
- Replaced with blue and orange metal wall decoration
- Replacement tile, 2-1/8" square. Original wall tile had no color band.
- 1" hairline border
- Upper level tile band is wider than lower level. Upper level has 4 1/4" tiles; lower level has 2 1/8" tiles (exclusive of border).
Page Credits
By Wayne Whitehorne and Bob Sklar.