This station opened on January 27, 1907 as the 230th Street station, but was built near the site of the originally proposed northern terminus of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line at Bailey Avenue and 230th Street, a block southeast of the current station. It was also near two former Kingsbridge railroad stations owned by two separate branches inherited by the New York Central Railroad; one was along a former segment of the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad, and the other was for the New York and Putnam Railroad. In 1948, platforms on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from 103rd Street to 238th Street were lengthened to to allow full ten-car express trains to stop at this station. Previously, the station could only hold six-car local trains. The platform extensions were opened in stages. On July 9, 1948, the platform extensions at stations between 207th Street and 238th Street were opened for use at the cost of $423,000. In 2002, it was announced that 231st Street would be one of ten subway stations citywide, as well as one of five on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, to receive renovations. The station was extensively renovated in 2003–2004, which included installation of elevators for both platforms to make it fully ADA-accessible and replacing the exit-only turnstiles on the 242nd Street-bound platform with High Entry/Exit and Exit-Only turnstiles ones, allowing both access and exit from that side.
Station layout
This elevated station has two side platforms and three tracks. The center track that bypasses this station is not used in revenue service. This is the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line's southernmost station in the Bronx. Both platforms have beige windscreens and red canopies with green frames and outlines in the center and green waist-high, steel fences at either ends with lampposts at regular intervals. The platforms are offset with the Manhattan-bound platform to the south of the 242nd Street-bound one. The station signs are in the standard black name plates in white lettering. There are two sets of artwork at this station. One of them was made in 1991 and is called Elevated Nature I-IV by Wopo Holup. It consists of gray marble tiles with a green border on the platform walls of the station house. It is also located at four other stations on this line. The other artwork was made in 2007 by Felipe Galindo and is called Magic Realism in Kingsbridge. It consists of stained glass panels on the platform windscreens depicting images of the surrounding area. Each platform has an adjacent same-level station house in the center. However, only the Manhattan-bound platform is open to the public. A set of doors from the platform leads to a small waiting area and a bank of turnstiles. On the 242nd Street-bound platform, a set of High Entry/Exit and Exit-Only turnstiles lead to a passageway around the station house separated from the platform by a metal fence.
Exits
Outside fare control on the Manhattan-bound platform, there is a token booth, two staircases going down to either western corners of 231st Street and Broadway, and one elevator going down to the southwest corner. Two emergency gates on the platform lead directly to each of the staircases. Outside fare control on the 242nd Street-bound platform, there are two staircases going down to either eastern corners of 231st Street and Broadway and one elevator going down to the northeast corner.
