Forgotten New York has a great piece about the original 28 subway stations, four of which are closed, including the City Hall station opened on Oct. 27, 1904. The site has some photos from the 100th anniversary when it was opened up for tours. Above shows the curve (one of the reasons it was closed ... new subway cars couldn't make the turn) and how important skylights were to letting light in. When did that little bit of genius get lost? Fortunately it's been belatedly rediscovered in Lower Manhattan, with the Calatrava Path Station and the redesign of the Fulton station (renamed the Fulton Transit Center, interior rendering below). Of course, the finances of MTA could use a little sunshine as well. But that's another post.
