There are two exit stairs each to the southwest and southeast corners of 149th Street and Grand Concourse.
Elevators
When the station was first opened, the only way to exit the station was through two elevators. The elevators had four levels: one at the northbound lower level platform, one at the level of a pedestrian overpass connecting the two lower level platforms at their southern ends, one at the mezzanine of the upper level platforms, and one at a street-level headhouse. When the elevators were opened up for service, they were considered state-of-the-art at the time, holding up to 20 people. However, the elevators and areas near the elevators were closed in 1975 due to security reasons. The MTA initially stated in February 2014 that there were no plans to reopen them as the station itself "was not a main station". In 2013, several local institutions and groups of riders protested in support of restoring elevator access to the station. All platforms are planned to receive full ADA accessibility as part of the MTA's 2015-2019 Capital Program. In December 2015, the MTA initially agreed to repair both elevators in addition to installing another one across the street. It was estimated that $45 million would go towards this previous elevator installation and repair plan. The MTA currently plans to rebuild one of the two original elevators so that it operates from the headhouse to the pedestrian overpass above the lower level platforms, and build two new elevators with three stops: either upper level platform, the overpass, and either lower level platform. A new fare control area will be built somewhere in the overpass level. It is estimated that "over $50 million" will go towards the current installation and repair plan. Additionally, construction on new elevators and the refurbishment of the existing elevator is expected to start as early as late October 2020, three months after a "preliminary design stage."
There are some remaining signs on the walls that point to a never-built station of the New York Central Railroad lines. The station had been approved in 1908 and would have been located at 149th Street and Park Avenue, one block east.
149th Street–Grand Concourse is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line that has three tracks and two island platforms, with the center track used during rush hours in the peak direction. This station is on the upper level of the two-level station complex, with a free transfer to the IRT White Plains Road Line on the lower level. The station was opened on June 2, 1917, and was the southern terminus of the Jerome Avenue Line until it was extended through Mott Haven Avenue into the Upper East Side extension of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.
149th Street–Grand Concourse on the IRT White Plains Road Line has two tracks and two side platforms. There is a high rounded ceiling that is visible at the west end of the station and is similar in design to those of 168th Street and 181st Street stations on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The IRT White Plains Road Line platforms are located on the lower level of this two level complex. Originally opened as Mott Avenue on July 10, 1905, 149th Street–Grand Concourse was the first subway station to be opened in the Bronx. The original headhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, all of the original mosaic "Mott Avenue" name tablets have been covered over with metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" signs. Only one name tablet, located on the downtown platform between the last two staircases at the northern end, remained uncovered and survived intact until a few years into the 21st century when a serious water leak after very heavy rainfall caused individual tiles to separate from the wall and fall off. There were no known plans by the MTA to repair or restore this name tablet. In the fall of 2011, the MTA covered this name tablet with a metal "149 St–Grand Concourse" sign. South of the station, there are track connections to the IRT Jerome Avenue Line. The line splits and makes a sharp turn to merge with the Jerome Avenue Line just south of the upper level station. Due to high usage levels and the sharp turn of the connection, it often causes delays on the 5 train. The White Plains Road Line continues straight under the Harlem River and merges with the IRT Lenox Avenue Line at 142nd Street Junction. From the time of the opening of the station in 1905 until 2002, there were no columns between the northbound and southbound tracks, allowing an unobstructed view across the station. Thin supports for a communications conduit have since been installed.
