By Caleb Savage

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Among all of New York City’s abandoned subway stations, nothing compares to the grandeur of the original City Hall station. Because it was the southern terminus of the first operational New York City subway line, the City Hall station was designed to be rather fancy, especially compared to the industrial practicality that characterize most stations in the system. Its elegantly ornamented arches, electric chandeliers, intricate skylights, and stately tile work make the City Hall station a Neo-Romanesque architectural gem, but its career as a functioning station was sadly rather short.

1904 — A postcard showing the festive crowd at the new station.

When the subway officially opened on October 27, 1904, thousands of people flocked to the new stations to admire and try out the new system. A vintage Forgotten NY blog post from 1998 quotes historian Clifton Hood’s description of opening night:

“The night took on a carnival atmosphere, like New Year’s Eve. Many couples celebrated in style by putting on their best clothes, going out to dinner, and then taking their first subway ride together. Some people spent the entire evening on the trains, going back and forth from 145th Street to City Hall for hours. Reveling in the sheer novelty of the underground, these riders wanted to soak up its unfamiliar sights and sensations for as long as possible. In a few instances high-spirited boys and girls took over part of a car and began singing songs, flirting, and fooling around. The sheer exuberance of opening night proved to be too much for others; although they bought their green IRT tickets and entered the stations like everyone else, these timid passengers were so overwhelmed by their new surroundings that they did not even attempt to board a train. All they could do was stand on the platform and gawk.”

Hood also noted that some passengers were too overwhelmed and scared by the newness of an underground train that they didn’t even try to get on the train. It’s hard to imagine the formal, festive atmosphere that must have pervaded the opening night of the subway 110 years ago. Taking the subway was the party, instead of just the way of getting there. A New York Times article from 1904 offers a slightly different account of the evening’s events, using somewhat more colorful language:

The heavily ornamented station became impractical only 40 years after its construction. Because it’s a loop at the end of the line, the train platform is on a tight curve. When increased subway ridership in the mid-20th century led to longer trains and longer platforms, the city had a problem on its hands — the tight curve made it difficult to lengthen the platform. The center doors on newer train cars were also a hazardous distance away from the platform — the same reason that the 4/5/6 platforms in Union Square are equipped with moving extensions. Limited ridership at the City Hall station as well as its proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge station also contributed to the city’s decision to close the station in 1945 rather than renovate it.

The station was closed permanently in 1945.

The original oak ticket booth, which was removed when the station was closed even before the days of tokens.

Though the station is now inaccessible to anyone except badass urban explorers and members of the New York City Transit Museum (which conducts occasional tours), there is an easy way to catch a glimpse. Just take the 6 train all the way downtown. Don’t get off at the last stop, which is Brooklyn Bridge City Hall. Stay on the train and look out the window. As your train sparks and screeches its way around the loop, take a look at this half-forgotten piece of New York’s transit history.

City Hall station in its present state of elegant decay.

[Images 1 and 5 via, 2 via, 3 via, 4 via, 6 via]