History
Dean Street station had the unusual, if not unique, distinction of being opened and closed twice in its history, though the line it served continues in operation.
The Kings County Elevated Railway was connected to the Brighton Beach Line in 1896 by means of a ramp and short elevated line from a point south of the latter railroad's terminal at Atlantic and Franklin Avenues in Brooklyn. The local property owners were promised a station on the elevated structure near the old Bedford Terminal, and one was established by 1897 at Dean Street, nearly adjacent to the former terminal, which was closed.
The station was not well patronized and the elevated company closed it in 1899. An uproar ensued, including appeals to the State Railroad Commission. On October 28, 1901, Dean Street was opened for the second time.
The station continued to be poorly patronized, as it was only a few hundred feet from the Franklin Avenue station located at the busy intersection of Fulton Street and Franklin Avenue. Nevertheless, Dean Street was upgraded to handle six-car subway trains with the rest of the Franklin Avenue Line in 1924.
Dean Street station deteriorated with other stations on the line, and, in 1995, the New York City Transit Authority closed the station for the second and final time. The TA cited low patronage (the lowest on the subway system), its decrepit condition, and its proximity to Franklin Avenue station. At the time of its closing, Dean Street and Franklin Avenue were the two closest stations on the system. It was charged that many who used Dean Street station jumped the turnstiles, a major problem at the time, lowering the passenger count even further.
Read more about this topic: Dean Street (BMT Franklin Avenue Line)
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