Copley

Copley is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line subway, located in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. Located in and named after Copley Square, the station has entrances and exits along Boylston Street and Dartmouth Street.Copley is fully handicapped accessible, following extensive station renovation completed in 2011. The renovation project was subject to a significant court case regarding the project's effects on the Old South Church.HistoryCopley Station was opened October 3, 1914, as part of the Boylston Street Subway, an extension of the original Tremont Street Subway. The ornate wrought-iron head house next to the Boston Public Library was designed by the firm Fox, Jenny & Gale. Originally Copley had light blue and white tile mosaic for the station name on the walls; however, none of these have survived.Renovation project and lawsuitAs a "key station" on the MBTA system, Copley was a priority for the MBTA to make handicapped accessible under the Light Rail Accessibility Program. A 1995 MBTA report identified possible elevator locations for the station, noting potential conflicts with the historic Old South Church and the Boston Public Library McKim Building, both of which are National Historic Landmarks. The MBTA finished design plans in 2002; representatives from the church and the library approved the plans. These plans placed the outbound elevator next to the church, and the inbound elevator next to the library steps.