Ever since the graffiti art movement began there were meeting places for writers known as writer’s corners or writer’s benches, and the majority of these meeting places were in the subway system in New York City. The last active location was the 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station in The Bronx, on the 2 and 5 IRT lines. It was active from the 1970s until the decline of subway painting in the late 1980s.

Writers from all over the city congregated at a bench located at the back of the uptown platform and they came to meet, make plans, sign black books and settle disputes over whos art was the most prominent at the time. The main activity was watching art on the passing trains (known as benching) and the writers would admire and criticize the latest paintings that would roll by on the subway cars.

The 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station was an ideal location for a writer’s bench for several reasons. It was a station where the 2 and 5 lines converged. The 2 and 5 lines featured some of the most artistic works in the city because of the fact that many lay-ups and train yards for the 2s and 5s were located in both the Bronx and Brooklyn made creativity on these lines extremely competitive. This was prime real estate and artist made sure that they only bombed their best and latest works on these cars. Also an overpass connecting the uptown and downtown platforms was an ideal vantage point from which to view the passing trains. There is nothing like a front row seat to some of the best art in the city.

Since paintings rarely if ever run on trains today, this bench is no longer frequented by writers but old school New York writers occasionally visit the site for the sake of nostalgia. If you would like to read the full memorial plaque that was installed on the bench, check it out here.

Writers Bench from Miss Tint on Vimeo.