The Original Columbus Circle



This is a photo of Wikimedia Commons.

After Columbus Circle's full development of entertainment spots, office buildings, and homes, the area begin to have its share of issues. One major complaint was that Broadway, and Columbus had become known as "streetwalkers' stroll." As a result, the New York State Legislature assigned Robert Moses' Triborough, Tunnel, and Bridge Authority to develop an exhibition hall. The city and Authority then designated the site between 58th and 60th Streets, Columbus Circle and Ninth Avenue, for Title 1 of the Federal Housing Act as "slum clearance". Under this law, over half the site had to be for housing. Placed on the rest of the site was the Coliseum which in 1986 became New York's Convention Center.

The picture above shows an original image of Columbus Circle before the subway was created. Here one can see a number of trolleys providing access to the circle. It may have been an idea to replace those trolleys with the subway station.