September 16, 2004

Transit Museum opens centennial exhibit

As part of the festivities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the New York City subway system, the Transit Museum this week opened a new exhibit covering the first years of the Interboro Rapid Transit system. During the opening reception Tuesday night I got to see the Tiffany-made silver shovel used to break ground in front of City Hall on March 24, 1900. The wood on the spade was taken from the flagship "Lawrence," which saw battle in the War of 1812. There are also artifacts recently removed from the grand but shuttered City Hall Station, including light fixtures and window glass. The exhibit also notes that the original 133 cast-iron entrance kiosks (two replicas remain at Astor Place and Borough Hall) were modeled on the "kushk" entrances in the Budapest subway system, which opened in 1896. The first day the subway operated in New York was October 27, 1904.

September 16, 2004 11:15 AM in History, Kids, Museums, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology

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