Subway
Tiles
An underground
treasure with
staying power
As the name implies, the first subway tiles showed up be-
low ground—specifically in New York City's subway system. When
it opened in 1904, designers Christopher Grand La Farge and
George C. Heins were tasked with a tricky ask: design a surface
that was easily cleaned, but would also feel familiar, safe, and
friendly to city-dwellers using underground transit for the very
