Beautiful and elegant are words not normally used when speaking about a subway station. But then again, until recently, few have seen or even heard of the now defunct City Hall subway station in Lower Manhattan.
It was built as a showcase station to illustrate what could be achieved by a city that was on the move and growing.
The station opened in 1904, a time when New York City was becoming a city of the world. Just a few years before in 1898, all five boroughs had incorporated to become one giant municipality. Brooklyn alone was already the second largest city in the country behind New York City. It was a time for the new metropolis to think big, roll the dice, and pronounce itself ready for its next era. Part of the equation meant having a mass transit better than any other city and it was the City Hall station job that set the tone.
Architects George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant Lafarge were assigned to the task by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in 1900 to build what would be the southern terminal of the first New York City subway line. The two were already gaining fame for their design of the city’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Cathedral influences are apparent inside the station. Vaulted tiled arches are everywhere and there is not a straight line in sight. Hints of Romanesque Revival pepper the space. The Guastavino terra cotta tiled ceilings and skylights made of amethyst give the underground space an ornate and graceful feel.
Even today, the City Hall station’s influences are present throughout the New York City subway system. For example the tell-tale mosaic tiles seen in many stations were first used here.
Opening day for station, on October 27, 1904 was a grand affair. Mayor George B. McClellan steered the first train with a special silver handle made by Tiffany & Co. Some 15,000 passes were given out—upwards of 150,000 people were veering for a spot to try out the new subway system.
City Hall station’s life was a bit short-lived thanks in part to the success of the rapid subway expansion spreading its railway tentacles quickly across the city. More stations meant more passengers and train cars. The longer trains required could not fit on the City Hall’s relatively short and curved platform. And with the Brooklyn Bridge Subway Station being so close by, City Hall station was fast becoming obsolete. For years the station was even closed at night. In fact by 1945, its last year of operation, only around 600 people actually used it.
Fortunately affer it closed, City Hall Station was somewhat forgotten but left intact. It became landmarked 1979 and ideas to reuse the space were always mulled around. Slowly the station was restored and cleaned.
Unfortunately because of security and safety concerns, the station is limited to exclusive tours. To apply for a tour one must become a member of the New York City Transit Museum and a few times a year the museum offers tickets for the tour online on a first come, first serve basis. They offen sell out 20 minutes after they are posted. Too bad, for this is a space not only New Yorkers should revere, but also be proud of.
