Nathan Kensinger Photography: Worlds Oldest Subway Tunnel

August 8th, 2007 -

In this second set of photographs from inside the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in Brooklyn, the generator was working and all the lights were on. When you can see more then two feet in front of you, the space is even more spectacular.

As previously written, 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. Though 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.