A rare look inside the #abandoned #IRT #CityHall #station. It was closed in 1945 for a number of reasons, including platforms too short to accommodate the increase from a standard of 6 to 10 #subway cars, radius too sharp to extend the platform, and extremely low ridership due to proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge station with express trains. It was the marquee station of the original system in 1904, designed in the city beautiful movement in order to allay the public's fears of travelling below ground. Unlike other stations with support columns every 15 feet, there are none in this station, which uses structural tile arches to support the surface above. You can see this station if you stay on the downtown 6 past it's terminus as it makes the loop back to the uptown platform. You can also see the glass tiles that allow natural light to enter the station from City Hall Park. It is also lit by incandescent lamps, which was standard in all stations until a 1930s-1980s retrofit with the flourescent lights we are familiar with today. #Manhattan
Xiu Qing You came to Queens 18 years ago as an asylum seeker. He is a father of two young children, loving husband to his wife (a US citizen), and a small business owner. Last month, our government imprisoned him during a routine green card interview and he is now facing deportation. His family has not been able to see him since. By all means, this process was set in motion long ago across many political administrations, but make no mistake: Trump is exploiting the bigotry already embedded in our immigration system to further malign and destabilize immigrant communities. Please call your representatives and demand that they #FreeMrYou, #StopDeportation, and #AbolishICE!
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#FoleySquare #Manhattan #NYC #LowerManhattan #CivicCenter #Downtown #1CentreStreet
