This Abandoned-Looking, 120-Year-Old Subway Station Will Finally Undergo A $100 Million Transformation After Nearly 2 Years Of Delays

The Chambers Street station (J & Z) near City Hall is one of New York City’s most historic subway stations ...and you can absolutely tell. Between chipped and missing tiles, peeling paint, graffiti, and walls coated in decades of grime and soot, it’s safe to say the station has seen far better days. Clearly, a major makeover is long overdue–and thankfully, it’s finally on the way. Built in 1904 as part of the city’s first subway line, history is in the Chambers Street station’s DNA. With original glass wall tiles and a sliding metal grate once used to close off access when the trains were not in service–potentially the only one its kind in the system–the station certainly has its quirks not typically seen on your every day commute. The problem: it looks like it’s about to crumble to dust. Back in March 2024, $100 million dollars worth of renovations was awarded to the station to help with “historically sensitive” repairs and restore the station–along with the 190th Street station (A) in Washington Heights–to its former glory. The project, however, clearly never came to fruition. With a projected two year completion timeline, the station should be looking practically brand spanking new at this point...but a walk through the station–and a report from *Tribeca Citizen* in September 2024 stating that the project was a “casualty of the failed congestion pricing program” which was paused–proves otherwise. Now, the outlet hasreported that, after nearly two years of delays, the renovation is back on track. The MTA is currently preparing to re-advertise the design-build contract, which is expected to be awarded in 2026. When the project was first announced, a Contract Solicitation Notice/Project Overview provided by the MTA stated that a general scope of work to be completed included: * Design, replace, or modify to existing station elements, such as stairs and doors * Remove and replace all damaged station finishes * Restore and clean all historic station finishes and elements * Design and construct new ADA compliant ramps and/or stairs * Provide comprehensive station painting * Fully replace one track When the project was first announced, *Gothamist* had noted that, beyond physical repairs, the MTA also planned to hire a contractor to clean and restore the station’s historic elements. The MTA hasn’t revealed any new details just yet, so it’s still unclear whether all of the station’s aforementioned woes will be tackled in the renovation. Still, one thing is certain: by the time the work wraps up, the station is expected to look significantly better than it does today. Source: https://secretnyc.co/chambers-street-subway-station-renovation-nearly-2-years-delays/