The 181st Street station has three entrances.
Two of them are located at the top of a hill along Fort Washington Avenue: one between West 183rd and 185th Streets, across from Bennett Park, and the other at 181st Street.
The third, at Overlook Avenue and 184th Street, is located at the bottom of a hill.
The entrances at the 181st Street station were designed so as to not be sidewalk obstructions like those constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, the two other subway operators in the city.
To accomplish this goal, the entrance at Overlook Terrace was placed on city-owned property near the station, and the entrance at Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets was placed in a building.
The entrances at Fort Washington Avenue at 181st Street could not be erected within buildings.

The entrance at Overlook Terrace leads to a 240-foot (73 m) passageway to the northern mezzanine.
This entrance is accessed from a single-story head house with a stepped roof and a facade of stone and ashlar.
This headhouse contains two arches surrounded by interlacing diamond motifs; there are wooden doors within each arch.
A backlit, Art Deco "Subway" sign is located above and in between the archways, atop a stone pedestal.

The entrance on Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets leads to three elevators that descend 100 feet (30 m) to mezzanine level.
It is entered from a single-story stone vestibule with an arch surrounded by an interlacing diamond motif.
There is a backlit Art Deco "Subway" sign above this arch, as well as four wooden doors recessed within the entrance vestibule.
The vestibule leads to a slightly recessed masonry structure that rises two stories above the height of Fort Washington Avenue.
The masonry structure forms the top of a seven-story mechanical structure with an emergency staircase, the three elevators, and the station's ventilation system.

The entrance at Fort Washington Avenue and 181st Street consists of four stairs, two to each southern corner of the intersection.
These stairs lead to a small landing immediately below the intersection, which in turn leads to the escalators that descend to the southern mezzanine.
The 181st Street station has three entrances. Two of them are located at the top of a hill along Fort Washington Avenue: one between West 183rd and 185th Streets, across from Bennett Park, and the other at 181st Street. The third, at Overlook Avenue and 184th Street, is located at the bottom of a hill. The entrances at the 181st Street station were designed so as to not be sidewalk obstructions like those constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, the two other subway operators in the city. To accomplish this goal, the entrance at Overlook Terrace was placed on city-owned property near the station, and the entrance at Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets was placed in a building. The entrances at Fort Washington Avenue at 181st Street could not be erected within buildings. 
The entrance at Overlook Terrace leads to a 240-foot (73 m) passageway to the northern mezzanine. This entrance is accessed from a single-story head house with a stepped roof and a facade of stone and ashlar. This headhouse contains two arches surrounded by interlacing diamond motifs; there are wooden doors within each arch. A backlit, Art Deco "Subway" sign is located above and in between the archways, atop a stone pedestal.
The entrance on Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 185th Streets leads to three elevators that descend 100 feet (30 m) to mezzanine level. It is entered from a single-story stone vestibule with an arch surrounded by an interlacing diamond motif. There is a backlit Art Deco "Subway" sign above this arch, as well as four wooden doors recessed within the entrance vestibule. The vestibule leads to a slightly recessed masonry structure that rises two stories above the height of Fort Washington Avenue. The masonry structure forms the top of a seven-story mechanical structure with an emergency staircase, the three elevators, and the station's ventilation system.
The entrance at Fort Washington Avenue and 181st Street consists of four stairs, two to each southern corner of the intersection. These stairs lead to a small landing immediately below the intersection, which in turn leads to the escalators that descend to the southern mezzanine.
181st Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)