Ghost Stations Of Paris Metro Envisioned As Subterranean Entertainment Complex

Ever since the High Line reimagined an abandoned Manhattan train track as a public space -- and reinvigorated a neighborhood in the process -- architects and city officials around the globe have racked their brains around how to breathe new life into their own discarded infrastructure. For one struggling mayoral candidate in Paris -- home of the original High Line concept, Promenade plante-- theres a simple solution for the citys long-abandoned metro stations: Turn them into an extravagant tourist attraction.

Some 133 miles of train line sit below the Parisian streets, forming one of Europes largest underground metro systems. Yet, hidden among the tangle of tracks are 16 so-called ghost stations that have been discarded and unused for decades.

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, of the center-right UMP party, is a former national minister of ecology, sustainable development, transport and housing, and shes livened up Paris otherwise uninspiring campaign season by commissioning a series of mockup images that envision one of those stations, Arsenal (near the Bastille), as everything from a gleaming swimming pool to a refectory-style restaurant or sculpture gallery.

The station could house a refectory-style restaurant. Manal Rachdi, OXO Architects & Nicolas Laisn, Architect

Arsenal Station in Paris could house an art gallery. Manal Rachdi, OXO Architects & Nicolas Laisn, Architect

Other ideas for sybaritic pursuits that play on the spaces strong acoustics include a narrow-bodied concert hall and an underground club -- both of which would sit precisely where the train tracks would have otherwise been.

Kosciusko-Morizet said the plans, created by Oxo architects and Laisn Architecte, show examples of the field of possibilities for adaptive reuse of the vacant underground spaces. The politician promised to let the public vote on an array of designer-submitted ideas, if elected, and expand the concept beyond Arsenal to some of Paris other abandoned metro stations.

As the proposal for the stations that sleep under our feet notes: We wont erase the identity of these stations, which are the story of Paris Metro and the heritage of the capital. On the contrary, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet wishes to magnify them and allow them to regain new forms, these unusual places of Paris.

The "ghost station" could be transformed into a theater. Manal Rachdi, OXO Architects & Nicolas Laisn, Architect

Another idea is a subterranean club. Manal Rachdi, OXO Architects & Nicolas Laisn, Architect

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Ghost Stations Of Paris Metro Envisioned As Subterranean Entertainment Complex