In 2004, Myself and a photoblogger (back when that was a thing) set out to get onto the abandoned platform at 63rd street.
The 63rd street / Lexington avenue station on the present day F line contained a set of platforms that was virtually unknown at the time. The station is actually an island platform, where the future second avenue subway would run on one side, and the present day F line runs today. The platform had a fairly permanent looking partition running down it’s length, hiding secrets on the other side.
This would need to be a stealthy mission, considering the high post-9/11 paranoia setting in amongst law enforcement. Indeed, there was a new NYPD post, with an officer stationed at the opposite end of this station, guarding the cross river tunnel.
We had heard plenty of rumors of workers hanging out back here, so our approach was cautious. Finding a train laid up here wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Creeping Closer
A random ladder went up into a utility space above the platform
Further down the platform was a makeshift work room
Apparently the NYPD had absconded with this area… or someone has a weird sense of humor
Not a whole lot could be found in this room
Though someone who frequented it definitely had a thing for Foxy Brown
At the opposite end of the room, someone posted another oddball sign.
We moved on to the end of the platform. Here we found an open door, with stairs going up. We peered up into the darkness. What was this place?
We knew we had to find out, but we had to be very quiet. Just opposite another door was the NYPD post. We could practically hear the officer breathing on the other side of the door.
We made our way up
Finding any of this was a huge surprise. It was basically a mirror image of the entrance on the west side of the station, only without tiles, escalators or elevators.
But there was another surprise – a mysterious long hallway.
The long hallway lead to a few rooms, all of which were empty. One included a shaftway
Moving back out to the mezzanine area, there were few lights, and the stairs up to the street ended at concrete slabs.
Will this station entrance ever see use? I guess we’ll see, when the second avenue “stubway” opens.
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I like the way it used to look here before they redid it as it looks now.
>Will this station entrance ever see use? I guess we’ll see, when the second avenue “stubway” opens.
Indeed, it finally did open.
Very true – I have to update this now 🙂 I heard that it only has elevators down, and any stairs are now hidden behind a locked door for MTA personnel use only. Haven’t gotten over there to check it out myself yet.
Yup, only four elevators between platforms and mezzanine. But the other day all four elevators were out of service. They really should have fitted this entrance with escalators at the very least. Smh
Wow…great find.
very little graffiti.. too close to coppers or whomever?
a place of questions (for me anyway)
Always loved this post. Wish I could have seen it during that era.
I recently did a little visit through the areas behind those doors to see how it’s changed since the time of this post and the time of your construction post. Sadly, no giant caverns in sight, but there were quite a lot of different stairwells. Lots of employee facilities and empty spaces; it’s a maze back there.