New LIRR Atlantic Terminal Pavilion Opens to the Public

A New Face for Historic Transit Hub in Brooklyn

Brooklyn's historic transit hub at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues where MTA Long Island Rail Road customers can transfer for connections with 10 subway lines has a new, $108 million home starting today with the opening of the Atlantic Terminal Pavilion.

The three-story limestone, granite and glass structure features a soaring atrium that allows natural light to reach the below ground LIRR concourse and subway station. Two sweeping staircases provide direct access from the street to the concourse below. The Terminal building is linked internally to an office building and retail complex.

While the interior of the new entry pavilion provides customers with open spaces and an impressive overlook of the terminal, the arced vessel shaped exterior restores a civic presence to the Flatbush Avenue site, according to Brooklyn native John di Domenico, the architect of di Domenico & Partners, LLP who led the design of the Entry Pavilion.

The renewed facility serves approximately 25,500 LIRR customers each day as well as approximately 31,650 NYC Transit subway customers. LIRR customers can transfer to the 2,3,4,5, B, D, M, N, Q & R lines as well as five bus routes.

Work on the project, begun in 2002, was done in two phases in order to coordinate improvements with MTA New York City Transit work on their subway facilities and a private developer, Forest City Ratner.

The new Pavilion includes a new ticket office, public rest rooms, grand stairs, customer waiting area, police and employee facilities, granite floor tiles, Arts for Transit installation, information signage, lighting and a new HVAC system. The hours of operation for the Entry Pavilion are 5 AM to 10 PM and the Atlantic Terminal Ticket Office is open from 6 AM to 10 PM. Train service to the terminal, ticket machines and elevator are available 24/7.

Earlier work completed during the first and early second phases of the work included a temporary ticket office and entrance, new platform lighting, platform seating, signage and public address system, granite floor tiles for platforms, finished ceiling and stainless steel platform column cladding.

The pavilion is an architecturally distinct work. Architect John di Domenico, of di Domenico + Partners, LLP, Parsons Brinckerhoff Engineers, and artists Allan and Ellen Wexler, commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit, collaborated to incorporate the artwork called Overlook into the Pavilions design. From street entry level, customers can observe the busy Terminal platform below. The Pavilion also has green environmental pluses. The large high performance glazed curtain wall and skylight allow abundant natural light to reach the LIRR concourse and the 2, 3, 4 and 5 subway station. Also, shading fins on the exterior glass wall and skylights prevent excess heat gain during the warmer months.

The budget for the Atlantic Terminal improvements was $108.1 million with funding provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the MTA Long Island Rail Road Capital Program.

The new Atlantic Terminal building marks an early milestone in the overall effort to transform this area of Brooklyn. A recent court decision cleared the way for a new sports center that is to be the new home of the Nets basketball team. Additional residential and commercial buildings also are planned nearby.

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[ron1254]

nice job Brooklyn

[Gshadow1000]

It makes me wanna shop and hang around the terminal

[KFCJones]

Gee it's as nice as 71st Street! Don't break your arms patting yourselves on the back. It's pretty utilitarian. :)

[mrgar588]

not the m

[metropod]

It never said Atlantic ave. The station is now called "Atlantic Terminal", which is also the name of the building it's under.

[theredarrow78]

I liked the old Flatbush Ave Terminal. Unfortunatley it was preserved and restored as Historical Landmark..

[Creativ1]

Congrats to my husband on his new office

Yes,it does look beautiful