Subway Art: New York's Underground Treasures

By Margot Adler

Published October 18, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

When the New York City subway was first built 100 years ago, it was informed by a philosophical movement known as "The City Beautiful." It held that art and architecture must appeal to many -- not just the elite -- and that beautiful structures could inspire civic virtue. Since 1985, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority program known as Arts for Transit has revived that notion, spreading beautiful mosaics, sculptures and other hidden treasures underground. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

Margot Adler

Margot Adler died on July 28, 2014 at her home in New York City. She was 68 and had been battling cancer. Listen to NPR Correspondent David Folkenflik's retrospective on her life and career

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