The Old City Hall subway station operated from October 27, 1904 until it was decommissioned December 31, 1945. This was the first subway station opened to the public in New York City. The hidden station beneath City Hall is a throwback to the elegance of old New York with chandeliers, vaulted tile ceiling layered with antique tile and glass skylights that flood the space with natural light from above. It was built by architects George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge, engineers Raphael Guastavino and William Barclay Parsons, and sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Visitors can see the station from inside a subway car by taking the 6 train to the last southbound stop 'Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall', but do not get off the train. The train will loop around the City Hall station before it makes its way northbound and visitors will see this architectural gem. This area used to be out of the public view because passengers previously were forced off the last stop before going northbound. But to be fully transported back to 1904, it is best to join the New York City Transit Museum and take their 'Jewel in the Crown: Old City Hall Station' members-only tour. Tour tickets to the Old City Hall Station and other tours are available for purchase here: http://web.mta.info/mta/museum/programs/.