New York City’s Hidden Subway Station
Deep in the belly of New York’s subway system, a beautiful untouched station resides that has been forgotten for years with only a limited few knowing of its existence. Stunning decoration with tall tiled arches, brass fixtures and skylights run across the entire curve of the station, almost a miniature imitation of Grand Central Station… But it sounds like something straight out of Harry Potter, right?
It was opened in 1904, with the hope of making it the crowning glory of the New York subway system in elegant architecture and a place for commemorative plaques to honour the work that had resulted in such a successful underground mass transit system. It was to be the original southern terminus of the first ‘Manhattan Main Line’; however the station was closed and boarded up in 1945. The gem of the underground began gathering dust, forgotten by the general public, as passengers were forced off at the Brooklyn Bridge Stop before the train continued on to the terminus to make its turnaround.
The reason for its closure was that newer longer cars were required to match the demand of passengers that passed through the system. But as the stations tracks were severely curved, a dangerous gap between the train doors and the platform was formed making it an unsafe area. This combined with the fact that only about 600 people used it, resulted in its closure with only mythical plans of turning it into a transit museum. But this was never followed through.
However, now you don’t have to take my word that the secret City Hall Station exists, as the 6 Train will now allow the passengers who have been enlightened with the knowledge of its whereabouts to stay on the train during its turnaround and see the Station. You won’t be able to get off, but you’ll be taken for a slow tour of the platform and see what a beauty it was in its heyday!
And if that isn’t enough, The Underbelly Project has turned it into a kind-of off-limits art gallery. They are a group of street artists who have painted the walls of the unattractive concrete areas with their art in a spooky art exhibition that will be witnessed only by urban explorers who prowl the deep train system at night and Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers.
Over a hundred murals have been accumulated over time by graffiti artists, namely PAC and Workhorse (infamous NYC graffitists), who discovered the bare walls and invited others to add their art.
But if you want to go and view these art works, you will most definitely run the high risk of being arrested as venturing the tunnels is both highly illegal and dangerous! I’ll just stick to seeing the photographs as I’m pretty sure my search for art would turn into a horror story down in the black tunnels… or I’d get hit by a train.
Image 1 via Nag On The Lake, image 2 via Visual News, image 3 via gothamist, image 4 via 2nd Ave Sagas, image 5 via Chasing Ray, image 6 via Co.Designs, image 7 via Telstar Logistics, image 8 via Gizmodo, image 9, 10 and 11 via E-Junkie.
Tags: art, fun, graffiti, hidden, hidden gems, inspiration, links, maps, people, photography, trains
Who took these images? It’s beautiful!
That’s too cool. And you’re right; very Harry-Potter-y
How could something like this be forgotten. When I start my plan to take over the world step number 11 will be to buy this for my lare.
click my name for a funny site
Haha, brilliant idea!
Just be wary when that train carriage trundles past
For those who would look for artistically designed train stations, they must visit Taskent in Uzbekistan. you would find every train station as a piece of art, artistically designed and decorated.
worth a visit….
I just tried doing this today and didn’t see a thing. Stayed on the downtown 6 after Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, and it only passed through darkness for a few minutes before returning back on the uptown track. Is it lit up and available for viewing at only a certain time?
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I’m pretty sure they filmed one of the Ninja Turtles Movies there.
This is from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. They find the old abandoned subway station.
This is too cool! I’d love to find this station!
O no Eloise! That’s a shame… perhaps it’s only lit by the natural light from the skylights…
Mutant Ninja Turtles??? Those pesky heroes-in-a-half-shell get everywhere.
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This must be the secret hideout of the ninja turtles.
I’m reading this awesome book (So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane) and these two kids go to a alternate dimension of N.Y. and find themselves in a blocked off / hidden subway area were a dragon is, and these pictures describe the area PERFECTLY. I don’t know if the author took inspiration from this, or didn’t even know. But if they turned the book into a movie, they should totally use this!
I’m compelled to point out that The Underbelly Project is NOT part of the City Hall Station, it’s in Brooklyn.
I’ve been to a concert in a bar that very much resembled that space. Wonder if it was constructed as the entry point for the station?
Well what a suprise!
Government wasting extorted tax dollars…
The fact that it is stunning is all the more reason for it to be open to the public…
…Unless there’s a security reason not to…
Great photos!
It reminds me a little bit of some of the Moscow subway stations…
Thanks for posting this story…
It’s the Gotham City Underground from the game, Batman:Arkham City.
Beware Ras al-ghul!
@ Halfwit Potato.
Could you possible mean your “lair”? Geez, go back to Second Grade and stay awake this time.
City Hall Station
http://forgotten-ny.com/2006/07/living-for-the-city-my-first-visit-to-city-hall-station-since-1998/
Kevin Walsh of Forgotten NY has been writing about these kinds of
things for years. Great web site.
And he conducts tours
http://forgotten-ny.com/category/tours/
“venturing the tunnels is both highly illegal and dangerous! ”
Nature of the State, piss the money away and the prevent the victims from seeing the spoils.
They don’t build ‘em like they used to.
The Underbelly Project was not put on at City Hall. It was put on at the shell station at South 4th Street. Stick it in Google, and you’ll learn more.
A very few of the urban ‘artists’ make a very few good works. Most of it is vain garbage that everyone else is forced to look at.
Looks like that is what happened here.
compare the majestic design of the train station with the wall scrawlings of today’s ‘artists’. we’re devolving, folks.
If you stay on the (6) to see the old City Hall Station, you need to be looking out of the right side windows. You pass through a few seconds after leaving Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall.
Also, those photos of the tunnel graffiti aren’t anywhere near City Hall; those are in Brooklyn.
It can’t be totally lost or forgotten – somebody has been cleaning it, or there would be 6″ of dust over everything.
Whose got the janitorial contract for NY subways?
Lots of respectable people have been hit by trains!
@juandos, while I never mind a good hit against government waste, it should be pointed out that the New York City subways were built and operated by private firms. This line, in particular was still known as the “East Side IRT” when I grew up in NY, even though the Interborough Rapid Transit company was bought out by the city in 1940 (according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interborough_Rapid_Transit_Company)
For once, graffiti where it belongs. Deep under ground.
How very Parisienne this station is.
The apostrophe in your URL really makes this article hard to share.
As for America’s first subway
The public scoffed, it’s far to rude
One station filled with Victorias age
From frescoed walls, and goldfish fountians
To Brahmian tunes
“lare” => “lair”, and I am not a liar.
Wonderful. I’m amazed it hasn’t been scavenged for the brass fixtures and tiles.
If you find this entrancing, you might like Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere (film and book) which takes place mostly in abandoned parts of the London Subway system.
“Graffiti artist” is an oxymoron. Graffiti is not art. It’s vandalism.
How would you like me to come to your neighborhood and play the tuba in the street any time I wanted to? It’s the same with graffiti.
It’s strange that the lights still work.
No, not Harry Potter at all. Try Neverwhere. Gosh people, get your fictional alternate realities right!
Love it! That was a great journey I just took via this posting, pictures, and all the information. Can’t wait to take the 6 down, won’t be dining in the tunnels, but would love to see the art work!! Hmmm…
Recently moved back home to NY and it really never ends – the magic of this city
Wow! That’s gorgeous. And kind of eerie. Definitely on the list for my next visit.
Cool,Very Cool…
If NYC had sense, they would put tasteful,wrought iron railings along the platform edge. Plexiglas in front of the Graffiti artwork (to stop idiots adding their un-tasteful mark) and open the station to the public. They’d make a fortune ;o)
[...] What I didn’t realize is that the train moves pretty fast so I should have done it a couple more times to soak more of it in. Plus I was not able to snap a pic. I will do it again for sure. You can see some photos of the regal looking station and the street art here. [...]
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In keeping with many of these comments the first thing I thought was a film, but I thought Ghostbusters. Not really accurate but it’s got those vibes. Really pretty.
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Really nice. How did you find it
? It looks like it’s hard to find it.
Very nice images.
This is so neat – love the pictures. It really does look like something out of Harry Potter!
Now that’s cool, I would definitely would like to check that place out myself.
what a marvelous treat and trip
Definitely seeking this out next time I am in NYC! Awesome.
Over forty years back, when I commuted between downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, I sometimes saw that station, as well as the old Worth Street Station. They were visible only briefly in the lights from the window as the trains passed by, but sometimes I had the eerie feeling of a time warp, of the bygone people bustling around in their present as we passed by unseen, a shadowy harbinger of the future, and I wondered if they ever perceived us in return.
Way cool. I’m an avid urban explorer an will look this up when in NYC.
Really cool and wonderful pictures… Very nice….
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http://www.adventuretravelshop.co.uk What a gem! We love the spooky art. Thanks for this.
Wow, wish I knew about this when I was out there a couple months.
The Transit Museum has tours of this station (which is, not surprisingly, located under City Hall). You can find more info at http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/programs.htm. It is a very popular tour, so popular it looks like it is only open to members these days. I’ve been a member and done this tour, among others and it is totally worth it.
REVOK !!
Nice to see a LA graff artist getting coverage in a article about NYC, lol
So a couple of questions scream to be answered: 1) From what fabulous source did these gorgeous pictures come from? 2) In times of economic slowdown, why aren’t they charging admission to this ‘museaum’!
Truly inspiring story of secrets beneath the hectic pace. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story (and visuals!).
HI, friends!
I ‘conffess’ I didn’t know it even existed…
Amazing pics of ‘hidden treasure’.
Mirna, from Brazil
Awesome Hidden treasure Pictures .. Thanks for sharing
This is really cool! I especially like street art that’s been put down there. All kinda spooky, though! Thanks for sharing.
looks like where they filmed teenage mutant ninja turtles.
Is this where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live in the third movie!!
wow – this is really cool. Thanks for sharing
All thise pics are Photo Shopped. No Rats, No tents, No skeletons.
[...] New York’s Hidden Subway Station on Travelettes [...]
[...] New York heeft meerdere verlaten metrostations. Deze op de foto werd geopend in 1904, het metrostation moest de kroon op het werk worden van het New Yorkse metro-systeem. Het was oorspronkelijke het zuidelijkste eindpunt van de eerste ‘Manhattan Main Line’, maar het station werd gesloten en dichtgetimmerd in 1945. De foto’s en het artikel staan hier. [...]
How cool it i if it was not hidden from the people!
These murals look amazing. I bet this was the lair of the ninja turtles. I wish it would be open to public so that people would see and learn to appreciate mural art.
I love undergrounds. This looks so beautiful with all that glasswork. Government should consider making it a formal art gallery of sorts.
What a great photo essay of a place I know nothing of about! Thanks for the beautiful images and info… It’s now on my to do list when I get back to New York
We would like to hear from anyone that has been in the subway and produce art on the walls. Bring your images to the community for us all to see. http://articlechase.com/beyondnews
Great photos of the underground – it looks like its been lost in a time warp! The graffiti artists are very talented too!
[...] to the source, New Yorkers now have the opportunity to see said subterranean architecture for themselves [...]
Nice Sophie! Can you tell us if it’s possible to visit this place?
Thanks
It looks a little similar to Bank tube station in London
WoW those are some awesome pictures. I love it. That is definitely a hidden gem.
Love stumbling upon these hidden gems!! Added to my list of things to see in nyc, next to the high line they converted into a park. Genius.
i love this post just got on when i was stumbling. Great
Some amazing shots its surprising how much beauty of buildings is hidden away from the general public.
Very fantastic is hidden away from the station.
Awesome subway station. It’s a shame it was closed, and that more of them don’t look like this.
[...] New York City’s Hidden Subway Station [...]
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NOT VISIBLE! Be careful, as Eloise above commented, friends recently tried to view this (on the basis of this site) and 1) the train driver was quite reluctant to let them stay on for the turn around and 2) it was PITCH BLACK, no lights at all, so they saw virtually nothing. Dang.
Really gutted I didn’t get to experience this – although I only had one day in New York and managed to fit in a ridiculous number of sights.
Just 1 wish to see this in true life. You have the great photos thats make me imagine thAT I TOUCH THE PLACE.
These photos have inspired me. I have long wanted to photograph the hidden world of office and residental lobbies. I will post my photos on my website (nypiedaterre.com). I will try to change monthly…stay tuned.
the graffity in the last photo was made by an israeli guy – he’s tag name is Know Hope..
Hey, Great article and lovely photos – What an amazing hidden gem! I’m surprised someone hasn’t created a tour or something of this station. Thanks for sharing – looks great!
WoW! Amazing pics (y) Thanks for sharing
well thanx for the sharing of snaps..its amazing,,,its very goood to travel in this type of subway stations..
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For what it’s worth, the reason they didn’t make the City Hall loop the transmit museum was that the IRT tracks are too narrow for the wider IND and BMT trains.
I had a friend who saw it years ago, he just got off the train and hopped back on after the conductor walked through. Nice to know you can now stay on.
There are other abandoned stations as well, e.g., the 91st station on the 7th Avenue line.
Grand pictures of something not well known! ‘Surely inspired a lot of comments!
The cave paintings of New York…that’s what future amazed anthropologists will call them.
That images are very bright and tell us something. But its more look like fake(compu grafics), I don’t know why probability color is faded, seeing some shadow behind the images . Im not a professional artist but i know how to find errors in art. he he he…
Very nice! Visit my country( Viet Nam) in here:http://vnnhadep.com/
Oh my gosh I love these pictures! I love history, cool buildings, travel – that is certainly a sight to behold!
Wow, that’s so amazing. I’m from London originally, I know we’ve got some unused underground station, they should do something like this with them! A subway restaurant might be interesting!
I’ve been to New York a few times and the next time I go new york city’s hidden subway station is going to be one of the stops
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Movie set.
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[...] across this article while browsing through the good old facebook [...]
The station is so much more beautiful than the grafitti. Really there is no comparison. I hope they can open it up again.
what an art..got some say this vandalism but this is still the art.. very nice.
It’s such a beautiful area (minus all the graffiti) and it’s really sad that such an unique place is no longer being used for what it was built for. If the City has no plans to repair and reuse this space for what it was meant for or something to showcase the beauty then they should at least use it for other things. The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was, There are so many homeless people in that area that maybe this could be turned into a safe place for them to stay. Maybe but in beds and repair the restrooms (if there is any down there) and allow anyone that needs a place to sleep to stay there. It would be safer than sleeping in the streets and the Winter weather in the New York area is horrible so it would give the homeless a warmer place to be.
I’ve been using this subway for such a long time and never thought that such a gem could be in such a messy and stinky place as NYC subway right next couple of yards. Loved this post! Thank you!
Harry potter? more like Ninja Turtles!
[...] I wanted to share with you this creepy cool article a couple friends shared with me the other day. Hidden deco subway stop deep beneath Manhattan? [...]
so what this says is that a beautiful public artifact is being vandalized.
[...] Did you know that there’s a secret subway station in New York City? It was supposed to serve City Hall, but the track was too curved for it to be usable. Sophie of Travelettes has the details. [...]
[...] Information/ Travelettes [...]
well, now I want to see this place. =)
If Budapest can manage it, certainly NYC can.
http://www.bkv.hu/en/gallery/foldalatti_vasuti_muzeum_budapest
Gorgeous! The train station should be restored/preserved and used for something like a museum, art gallery, special event location…. something. It is a shame to leave such beautiful work hidden, covered up, illegal to view.
In 1870, inventor Alfred Eli Beach (founder of Scientific American), unveiled New York’s first true subway.
It ran one block under Broadway, between Murray and Warren Streets, and consisted of one small car that was propelled by pneumatic power – a huge fan at Warren Street that would literally blow the car to the other station. Then the fan would be reversed and would suck the car back. Top speed was 10 miles per hour.
Beach constructed it in secrecy because of City Hall corruption in the form of one William Marcy “Boss” Tweed. A permit had been issued only for two small experimental pneumatic tubes to transport mail, and the eight-man-per-shift tunnelers would hide the dirt in their pants, letting it trail out as they walked to avoid someone noticing the huge amount of soil being excavated.
The stations were ornate and classy, and on opening day in 1870, each station had a grand piano, among other touches.
Alfred Eli Beach had a huge hit on his hands, but the corrupt Tammany Hall gang refused to let him keep building. The tunnel was closed and boarded up in 1874, and Beach would die penniless, a broken man with a dream.
In 1912, workers building the BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit, forerunner of the BMT) Manhattan City Hall station broke through a wall and discovered the forgotten station, the little car still sitting patiently on its rails, waiting for the gust of wind to again propel it.
The station was torn down and the space became part of the City Hall station. Supposedly there was a commemorative plaque in that station, but I was never able to find it.
I first read about the Beach Pneumatic Subway in 1967, and the story has stayed with me all these years. Who knew?!
— Ron Harris (ron90069@pacbell.net)
Oh…worth noting: within a few hours of the IRT’s opening on October 27, 1904, the first subway crime was reported…a theft of a diamond stickpin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWF3IDk9Gek Also relevant if you want to see the subway in video and not just photos.
[...] Travelettes » New York City’s Hidden Subway Station. [...]
[...] Article w/ more pics [...]
[...] http://www.travelettes.net/new-york-city%E2%80%99s-hidden-subway-station/ [...]
[...] you are seeing in these pictures is “City Hall Station” in New York City, which was opened in 1904 and decorated as the crowning achievement of that city’s mass transit [...]
Every time the lights are replaced. Amazing palace!
Impressive! Really like it. I’ll try to visit it on my next trip ti NY. In the meantime I enclosed one “similar” we also have in MAdrid. If you have the chance to visit Madrid do not miss it!
http://www.esmadrid.com/anden0/
Some more images from Chamberi Metro Station…
https://www.google.es/search?q=estaci%C3%B3n+fantasma+chamber%C3%AD&hl=es&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=29haUaLfLcSAhQemx4DoDA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=761
[...] a month ago I came across a post on my Facebook newsfeed that linked to this great article about the City Hall subway station in New York City. I highly suggest reading and checking out the [...]
Bucket List for sure!
very interesting read, thank you for sharing:)
[...] Via: Travelettes [...]
[...] Today, plans have come and gone to reopen the station as a museum to show off the wonderful artistic work that went into making the place beautiful, but the only activity that happens under there now are street artists practicing graffiti on the walls. To see more photos of this lost station, click here. [...]
Wow, how spectacular!!! And too bad that it is not possible and unsafe to explore these. But these pictures are gorgeous indeed, so they will have to do. Thanks for sharing!
[...] New York City’s Hidden Subway Station [...]
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