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.
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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.
Sophie Saint was one of the original travelettes, from 2009 – 2017. After fleeing the UK with ink barely dry on her graduation certificate, she traversed the world with a backpack and spent a few years living in Melbourne – one of her favourite cities in the world.
She finally returned to the UK after a few years where she now whiles time away zipping off for European escapes, crocheting and daydreaming of owning her own hostel somewhere hot to live out eternal summers. See what she’s up to over on her blog saintsonaplane.com and instagram: @saintsonaplane
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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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!
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so what this says is that a beautiful public artifact is being vandalized.
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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.
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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
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Bucket List for sure!
very interesting read, thank you for sharing:)
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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!
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Very nice subway station considering that was open in 1904.
i wonder how do you get this picture, this is really stunning pictures, thank you for sharing.. cheers
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You captured the images well with all the dark lighting, and what beautiful underground spaces, I've got to visit next time I'm in the city.
cool...I have to go there to learn martial arts from splinter
I got arrested there when i was 11, that was 20 years ago. They didnt book me or anything, just made my mom get me from the precinct. It was awesome. It hadn't been my first time either. I was in the process of showing more and more friends. Some of the giant murals are poems and stories about adventures and secret tunnels that can get you all the way to Canada.
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thats a great picture
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Wasn't this the location that part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie was filmed?
The subway station is absolutely gorgeous. The architecture is beautiful. The graffiti is not beautiful. I hate graffiti and don't think it's any kind of art at all. It's no more art than hiccupping is singing.
Incorrect use of the word 'infamous'.
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"...as the station's tracks were severely curved, a dangerous gap between the train doors and the platform was formed making it an unsafe area." In London, there are similar curved tracks at platforms (the Central Line at Bank station is an example). The London Underground deals with it by using recorded announcements of "mind the gap".