The Dual Contracts, which were signed on March 19, 1913, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were "dual" in that they were signed between the City and two separate private companies, all working together to make the construction of the Dual Contracts possible. The Dual Contracts promised the construction of several lines in Brooklyn. As part of Contract 4, the IRT agreed to build a branch of the original subway line south down Seventh Avenue, Varick Street, and West Broadway to serve the West Side of Manhattan.The construction of this line, in conjunction with the construction of the Lexington Avenue Line, would change the operations of the IRT system. Instead of having trains go via Broadway, turning onto 42nd Street, before finally turning onto Park Avenue, there would be two trunk lines connected by the 42nd Street Shuttle. The system would be changed from looking like a "Z" system on a map to an "H" system. One trunk would run via the new Lexington Avenue Line down Park Avenue, and the other trunk would run via the new Seventh Avenue Line up Broadway. In order for the line to continue down Varick Street and West Broadway, these streets needed to be widened, and two new streets were built, the Seventh Avenue Extension and the Varick Street Extension. It was predicted that the subway extension would lead to the growth of the Lower West Side, and to neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Greenwich Village. Christopher Street–Sheridan Square opened as the line was extended south to South Ferry from 34th Street–Penn Station on July 1, 1918, and was served by a shuttle. The new "H" system was implemented on August 1, 1918, joining the two halves of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and sending all West Side trains south from Times Square. An immediate result of the switch was the need to transfer using the 42nd Street Shuttle. The completion of the "H" system doubled the capacity of the IRT system. In 1981, the MTA listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.
Station layout
This underground station has two side platforms and four tracks. The two center express tracks are used by the 2 and 3 trains during daytime hours. Both platforms have the standard IRT trim line and name tablets reading "CHRISTOPHER ST. SHERIDAN SQ." in Times New Roman font on two lines. The columns are painted dark green with every other one having a standard black name plate with white lettering. There are also signs directing to New York University. The 1994 artwork is entitled Greenwich Village Murals by Lee Brozgol and the students of Public School 41. It features twelve mosaic frame panels on the platform walls depicting the history of Greenwich Village. The names of some of these panels include "Bohemians", "Rebels", "Founders", and "Providers".
Exits
Each platform has one fare control area at the center containing a turnstile bank and token booth. There is no free transfer between directions. The South Ferry-bound fare control has four street stairs to the diagonal intersection of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue: two to the northwestern corner and two to the southwestern one. The Bronx-bound fare control has a single staircase to the island formed by Seventh Avenue, West Fourth Street, and Grove Street.
The Stonewall National Monument, encompassing Christopher Park and the Stonewall Inn, is across West Fourth Street from the Bronx-bound entrance. The Hess triangle, a small triangular-shaped plaque in the sidewalk with one side and two sides, is located outside the South Ferry-bound entrances at the southwest corner of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue South.
In popular culture
In Bright Lights, Big City, Michael J. Fox is seen jumping the turnstiles and then boarding a train at the station while running away from his brother. In season 2, episode 5 of Friends, filmed during the renovations of the station, the south entrance of the station is depicted as being closed. The station can briefly be seen in the backdrop of the music video for David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans". The 1999 comedy movie Big Daddy includes a scene of Adam Sandler, his character's foster son, and friends outside this station. The Steely Dan song Pixeleen from the Everything Must Go album, released in 2003, alludes to the subway station.
