19. The Decommissioned City Hall Subway Station
This is the most famous of the “abandoned” subway stations, for its unique curved design and Guastavino tiling–opened as the crown jewel of the new New York City subway system in 1904. And rightly so, as it’s the only station to have so much detail: stained glass, Roman brick, tiled vaults, arches and brass chandeliers. The curvature of City Hall station platform could not accommodate the longer trains we see today without extensive renovations, so the station was decommissioned in 1945.
You can see the station, designated an interior landmark in 1979, by becoming a member of the MTA Transit Museum. Or you can stay on the 6 train after the last stop at Brooklyn Bridge and if the old station is lighted, you can catch a glimpse of the platform. The train will then return to Brooklyn Bridge on the uptown track. More photos here.