subway tiles and their origins

What a gorgeous marble subway tile.

Look's great in this kitchen. I'm converted from white to marble for our splashback i think, how could i not with an image like this?

Looking at Subway tiles recently, i decided to seek out some in their first habitat ... in the city that conceived the whole idea of this tile. New York baby!

Back in 1901 Heins and LaFarge Architects were employed to design the New York City subway system and in turn came up with the  subway tile. They started laying in 1901 with the subway opening on the 27th October 1904 for business. They used various colours and structural design to create unique patterns and signage for all of the stations.

 

The famous City Hall Subway Station pictured above is so amazing. Over time various companies have been employed on the upkeep of these tiles and they still stand today at an age of more than 100 years.

 This is from 72nd Street

 

Many of the subway station signage and decorative works are done with mosaic tiles as you can see above. Certain stations depending on their locations have motifs representing the station. Whilst the majority of the work on the subways was completed prior to 1904, over the years more modern additions of subway art has emerged like this simplistic one below

Whilst the overall design of the subway system both architectually and decoratively was the work of Heins and LaFarge, a young architect by the name of Squire Vickers was heavily responsible for many of  the mosaic motif designs.

Historically subway tiles were made of painted and fired ceramic, these days they are more enhanced for longer lasting durability, but whether 1904 or 2011, they are still a hardy and aesthetically versatile tile. I never tire of looking at them.

Have a great Friday and even better weekend.