Additional Coverage:
- Take a look at the abandoned New York City subway station where Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor (businessinsider.com)
Mayor-Elect Mamdani to Be Sworn In at Historic Old City Hall Subway Station
New York City’s mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, is set to take his oath of office on January 1st in a truly unique location: the abandoned Old City Hall subway station. This private ceremony will bring the Gilded Age station, which closed its doors in 1945, back to public life, if only for a brief moment.
The Old City Hall station, one of New York City’s original 28 subway stations, was built beneath City Hall in 1904. It’s renowned for its stunning tiled arches and ornate ceilings, masterpieces designed by the celebrated Spanish engineer Rafael Guastavino, whose distinctive work also graces other iconic New York City landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and the Queensboro Bridge.
Mamdani expressed his admiration for the location, calling it “a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives.”
While the station is typically only accessible through exclusive guided tours offered to New York Transit Museum members, it will serve as a poignant backdrop for Mamdani’s swearing-in. The mayor-elect, who at 34 will be the youngest mayor since 1892 and the city’s first Muslim mayor, will then proceed to a public inauguration held outside City Hall.
The 6 train still passes through the Old City Hall station, and the New York Transit Museum’s tours utilize this access point, employing a ramp to bridge the gap between the train and the curved platform – a design flaw that ultimately contributed to the station’s closure in 1945. Despite its abandonment, the station’s original signage and architectural grandeur remain, offering a tangible link to New York City’s rich transit history.