Brooklyn
A cavernous Brooklyn junction where abandoned platforms double as Hollywood backlots, and traces of a lost department store still line the walls.
The abandoned outer platforms at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets serve as a stand-in for the New York subway in movies and TV, from The Warriors to countless crime dramas.
For many viewers around the world, this is their very first subway ride—on screen, right where you're standing.
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories.
In 1990, the very first episode of Law & Order, "Subterranean Homeboy Blues," used Hoyt–Schermerhorn's closed outer platforms to stage a tense subway shooting, away from the disruption of active trains.
It was the opening scene for a series that would become a New York institution.
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories.
In 1937, it was chosen for the ribbon-cutting that launched the new G train between Bedford–Nostrand and Bergen Street, even though the A and C had been stopping here since 1936.
Its size and location made it the easiest place for riders, officials, and press to gather for the celebration.
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories.
In 1938, a passageway linked Hoyt–Schermerhorn to Loeser's, a five-floor, 500,000-square-foot department store known for its Art Deco style. The store closed in 1957, but its elegant details still grace the station today.
The store closed in 1957, but its elegant details still grace the station today.
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories.
On race days, special trains stopped only three times—Aqueduct Racetrack, here, and 42 St–Port Authority. In 1981, they became the "Train to the Plane" to JFK Airport.
Later replaced by wider subway and AirTrain service so more New Yorkers could reach the airport.
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories.
Every station has a different story. Where to next?
Standing on History
472 stations. Untold stories. One stop at a time.