Why Zohran Mamdani will take oath as NYC mayor underground in an abandoned subway station at 31st midnight

Zohran Mamdani will take the oath as the mayor of New York City when the clock strikes 12 and the countdown to 2026 ends. It will be a private event at the abandoned Old City Hall subway station and New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath of office to Mamdani. After the private, underground event, Mamdani will then be publicly sworn in by Sen Bernie Sanders and address the city during an Inauguration Day ceremony on the steps of City Hall at 1 pm.

The choice of the place has raised eyebrows but Letitia James said it's only fitting as NYC subway is the lifeline of the city and a great equalizer. “For all of our strengths and weaknesses as individuals, we ride together on the train, to places far and wide,” James said in a statement. “Zohran is our next mayor because he understands how important it is that New Yorkers living side by side all deserve a city that we can thrive in, no matter what subway line you use.”

What Mamdani said on his oath location

"When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904 — one of New York's 28 original subway stations — it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples' lives. That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall: it will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above," Mamdani said.

"When I take my oath from the station at the dawn of the New Year, I will do so humbled by the opportunity to lead millions of New Yorkers into a new era of opportunity, and honored to carry forward our city's legacy of greatness."

History of City Hall Station

The City Hall station was opened in 1904 but it was closed down on New Year’s Day in 1945 because its curved platform did not line up with the doors of newer trains, leaving dangerous gaps. The station can now only be seen during official tours or if riders stay on the Number 6 train after its last stop at the Brooklyn Bridge station as it loops around to begin its voyage uptown.