This Abandoned Tunnel In Manhattan Conceals A Startling, Dark Origin

Visit Manhattan’s Bryant Park today and you’ll be greeted by a spirited place full of life. Overlooked by the New York Public Library, this space is perfect for taking a moment to escape the hustle of city life. Yet behind the facade of this urban paradise, a secret lurks. Beneath your feet, a dark, dank tunnel snakes through the metropolis — and it serves as a reminder of this famous city’s history.

An iconic city

New York’s unquestionably one of the most famous cities on Earth, known everywhere for its towering skyscrapers and striking landmarks. But that’s just what we see from the surface. Beneath the streets, too, the metropolis has a life of its own. Its extensive network of subway lines, for one, is itself an iconic feature of the city.

A forgotten history

While everyone’s aware of the subways speeding through the active subterranean tunnels of New York, they aren’t the only things down there. There are a bunch of empty tunnels that no longer serve a purpose, in fact — the city has a whole forgotten history down there waiting to be explored.

A league of its own

There’s a surprisingly large number of abandoned subway stations sitting underneath New York City, and each of them has their own fascinating tale. Arguably none of them is quite as intriguing, though, as the tunnel that passes beneath Bryant Park. This passageway’s in a league of its own.

Pressing questions

But what’s the story behind this strange tunnel? Who built it, and what purpose did it once serve? Thankfully, we have the answers to these questions, but they hark back to a often forgotten period of New York’s history. Back to a time when life in this city was unimaginably different.