Custom Glaze on 59th Street & Columbus Circle Station, NYC is Looking Great

If you travel using the subway system in NYC, be sure to look around you while passing through the station at 59th Street and Columbus Circle. Three years ago the terra cotta adorning the walls of this station was cleaned, repaired and restored, revealing some of the most detailed and interesting terra cotta originally produced by the Grueby Faience Company. William H Grueby founded his company in 1894 in Boston, MA; it specialized in the production of ceramic vases, architectural terra cotta and faience tiles.

Grueby’s fame spread and his work became world-renowned upon his development of a matte green glaze which became his signature finish. Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s R&D Glaze department was tasked with replicating this matte green glaze for our restoration of approximately 60 blocks.

Three years after completion of this project our work still looks great!

This tile depicting a ship at sea is one of the most recognizable features of the work in this station.

Bas-relief details in terra cotta units with the famous Grueby matte green glaze.