Tenleytown–AU station is a subway station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro in Washington, D.C. Located in the Upper Northwest neighborhood, it is the last station on the Red Line heading outbound wholly within the District of Columbia; the next stop, Friendship Heights, lies within both the District and the state of Maryland. The station serves American University (AU).

Location

The southernmost station underneath the Wisconsin Avenue NW corridor, Tenleytown–AU station lies within the neighborhood of the same name in the Upper Northwest portion of the city. More specifically, it lies north of Tenley Circle, for which the area is named, below Wisconsin Avenue NW at its intersection with Albemarle Street NW. Nearby are several educational institutions, the most notable of which are: American University (AU, which has its law school on the circle, has its main campus a mile from the station, albeit connected by a shuttle); Sidwell Friends School (famous for being the school of choice of presidential children); Jackson-Reed High School; the high school of Georgetown Day School; and the affiliated National Cathedral School and St Albans Schools. In addition, Fort Reno Park and the Washington National Cathedral are located close to the station.

History

Originally to be called Tenley Circle, in February 1980 the Metro Board officially changed its name to Tenleytown. The station opened on August 25, 1984. Its opening coincided with the completion of 6.8 miles (10.9 km) of rail northwest of the Van Ness–UDC station and the opening of the Bethesda, Friendship Heights, Grosvenor and Medical Center stations. In May 1989, although objected to by several community groups, the Metro Board officially changed its name to Tenleytown–AU due to its proximity to American University. The $63,500 cost of changing the names on signs, pylons and maps throughout the system was paid for by the District government.

Station layout

This station uses the four-coffer arch design found at most underground stations on the western side of the Red Line. It is one of 11 stations constructed using rock-tunneling methods, lying more than 100 feet (30 m) below the surface.

Two entrances on either side of Wisconsin Avenue meet at an upper mezzanine, converging into a set of three long escalators that travel down to the fare control. An elevator adjacent to the eastern surface entrance travels down directly to the platform, with a single faregate and ticket machine to access the platform proper. The separate accessible and general entrances are a relative rarity in the Washington Metro system; only Rosslyn and Takoma stations share this feature.