A forgotten New York City “Hidden” Subway station is both visually stunning and an illustration of how elaborate top-down economic planning (shovel-ready, even)  is often outpaced by technological development, creating massive waste. 

It was opened in 1904, with the hope of making it the crowning glory of the New York subway system in elegant architecture and a place for commemorative plaques to honour the work that had resulted in such a successful underground mass transit system.……..The reason for its closure was that newer longer cars were required ……… as the stations tracks were severely curved, a dangerous gap between the train doors and the platform was formed making it an unsafe area. This combined with the fact that only about 600 people used it, resulted in its closure with only mythical plans of turning it into a transit museum.

Stunning pictures.  Someone should use it as the setting for some urban fantasy movie.