World's Oldest Subway Tunnel
July 30th, 2007 -
The Atlantic Avenue tunnel was built in 1844 and sealed in the 1860's. It was considered lost until Brooklyn's Bob Diamond discovered an entrance in 1980. The tunnel runs underneath Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Entry is gained through a manhole cover in the middle of a busy intersection. The tunnel was closed to the public for the last five years, but it will now be open at specific times.
Originally, the tunnel was closed for over a century. It is still remarkably intact. Brick and stone are all in place and - despite pouring rain outside - the tunnel was almost completely dry. The interior of the tunnel is eerily quiet and without light of any kind. Graffiti from the early 1900's is still legible on the walls.
For more photos of the tunnel - with the lights on - please click here.
For more about Bob Diamond and the tunnel, visit the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association.
The Atlantic Avenue tunnel was built in 1844 and sealed in the 1860's. It was considered lost until Brooklyn's Bob Diamond discovered an entrance in 1980. The tunnel runs underneath Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Entry is gained through a manhole cover in the middle of a busy intersection. The tunnel was closed to the public for the last five years, but it will now be open at specific times.
Originally, the tunnel was closed for over a century. It is still remarkably intact. Brick and stone are all in place and - despite pouring rain outside - the tunnel was almost completely dry. The interior of the tunnel is eerily quiet and without light of any kind. Graffiti from the early 1900's is still legible on the walls.
For more photos of the tunnel - with the lights on - please click here.
For more about Bob Diamond and the tunnel, visit the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association.
