UWS 72nd Street Subway Station Reopens, Features Yoko Ono Mural

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side subway station that was shut down for a months-long renovation in May has reopened, MTA officials announced.

The restored West 72nd Street and Central Park West B/C train station features new aesthetic improvements, structural fixes and a mosaic designed by artist Yoko Ono, MTA officials said. Some of the new improvements include: Digital information displays, energy-efficient lighting, better wayfinding and upgraded security equipment.

"This station is nearly 90 years old but after these much-needed repairs to its structure and modern enhancements to bring it into the 21st century, it will be a completely new and different experience for the thousands of customers who use this station regularly," New York City Transit President Andy Byford said in a statement. "We thank our customers for their patience and we hope they’ll find that this brighter, cleaner and modern station was worth the wait."

While the station was closed, workers replaced floor slabs and existing tiles on platform and mezzanine walls, repaired slabs and steel columns, waterproofed areas with leakage problems and power washed the station, MTA officials said.

Ono's art installation — called "SKY" — features six separate mosaics on both station platforms and the station's mezzanine. The artwork measures 973 square feet and depicts a blue sky with "messages of hope" written in clouds.

"I'm thrilled that my new work, ‘SKY,’ will be opening at the 72 St subway station just steps from my home and Strawberry Fields, which I created in memory of my late husband [John Lennon]" Ono said in a statement. "It will bring the sky underground, so it’s always with us. I hope this will bring peace and joy to my fellow New Yorkers for many years to come."

Check out photos of the mural below:

Despite the new features, upgrades and art installation — the renovated station was not upgraded in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The lack of a new accessible entrance to the station prompted elected officials and accessibility advocates to call the renovation a "blown opportunity" when the first Upper West Side station closed as part of the Enhanced Stations Initiative in the spring.

Photo by Shutterstock