The train tunnel was built in the 1930s under the west side of Manhattan so there could be development room above ground. Since the automobile and trucking boom never slowed down in that era, the tunnel soon became abandoned. The homeless in NYC then moved into the tunnel, numbering in the easily hundreds. The residents also decorated the walls in artwork/graffiti, including a recreation of Goyas Third of May and chiaroscuro style study of the Venus de Milo. In 1991 Amtrack reopened the tunnel for their use, bulldozing the shelters. Here are some pictures from an urban explorer journey of the artwork that still remains in the tunnel.
http://memoryleak.co.cc/2009/08/26/the-freedom-tunnel/
A pool of pictures from the tunnel:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/freedomtunnel/pool/
What remains of the Third of May mural
A plaque in the tunnel stating the beginning of construction/eviction.
No comments:
Post a Comment