Even though the buildings at McCarren pool were sealed shut, the exterior walls became a whole new canvas for the next generation of graffiti writers. This is how the pool looked in 2001.
Category: Locations
Exploring location files
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McCarren Pool Graffiti 2001
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McCarren Pool Tunnel Graffiti
Deep below McCarren Pool, where only the most insane insomniac isotopic explorers dare wander, we came across still another batch of graffiti. These tags are much fewer than those of the locker room area, as these tunnels were likely pitch black in the 1980s when these guys hit this place.
This post is dedicated to the Ninja Team of the 80s. Deam, Mint, Finez, Gem, Ivette. If any of you are out there and want to relive your youth, give me a call!
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McCarren Pool Tunnels
Unknown to most, McCarren Pool contains a tunnel system. This tunnel system is a ring that starts under the main arch entrance and runs just under the edge of the pool in a large square. The rear side opens up to what was (and will be) the pool’s filtration room. Additionally there is a side tunnel that runs below the rim of what was once the diving pool (filled in and set to become a volleyball court).
Instead of hogging all the photo glory of having roamed through this place, I now turn this post over to the flavorful lens action of one Mr. ProZak, who accompanied me on this latest pool excursion.
Stay tuned for our next McCarren Xpose tomorrow, detailing the graffiti found in these tunnels.
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McCarren Pool 1980s Graffiti Exposed
When we first entered the former locker room areas of McCarren Pool, I was most pleased at this discovery. It is and was probably the most impressive graffiti discovery of 2010, period. While I know that is a huge, huge statement to make, you really must understand what we have here in these photos to truly appreciate the extent of the situation.
All of these photos were taken in 2010. All of the graffiti you see here (well, with one or two exceptions) was done inside the locker rooms of the pool during the 1980s. The date range of these tags runs from 1983 to approximately 1987. It is rather easy to conclude that during the years immediately after the pool was closed, the entire site was completely abandoned – doors left open, and vandals taking full advantage. At some point in the late 80s the buildings were sealed up with concrete and reinforced iron. From that point on, even while the exterior of the building became an illegal graffiti haven, no other graffiti artists gained access to the locker rooms.
This is most likely the last graffiti find of this variety in NYC to have survived until 2010. I can say this with a high regard of authority, having been in nearly every abandoned building within NYC over the last 20 years. The stock of abandoned buildings here was decimated during this time. Out of hundreds of such buildings the only intact walls of pure 1980s graffiti I ever found was the Graffiti Room in Greenpoint Terminal Market.
These photos represent a small portion of the dozens I took of this amazing graffiti find. Sadly, as of this last month, the locker rooms at McCarren Pool have been completely gutted. No trace remains of nearly all of this graffiti. These photos are the only proof it ever survived this long. I am of course, most pleased to be able to present them to you. Enjoy.
Stay tuned for tomorrows episode, where we go deep into the tunnels (!!!) and expose even more amazing finds.
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Luv Tunnel 2: The Cows Come Home?
Yesterday’s fuss about the west side ‘Cow Tunnel’ really got me wondering if perhaps the ‘Luv Tunnel’ was known by another name decades ago. Afterall, They are located not far from each other and urban legends, particularly concerning the NYC underground, are often wildly exaggerated. Stories about hidden abandoned subway stations still with pianos in them, CHUDs, etc are sadly pervasive. Thus it’s not much of a stretch to assume that rumors of a possible tunnel built at 34th street could actually be an actual, existing tunnel at 41st.
Before we go further, if you haven’t already, check out the original post on this topic over at Edible Geography. It’s a most interesting read…
The Luv tunnel has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It’s a short tunnel that dead ends at a solid concrete wall. According to some older graffiti artists/explorers, this tunnel once dead ended at the Hudson river. I never got around to doing homework on it until now (10 years after discovery of it)
There are very few references to what function this tunnel previously held online. Approximately located below W41st street, ‘the luv tunnel’ served 2 functions:
1) As a wye (used to turn railroad cars and engines around – sort of like making a 3 point Uturn, only on tracks), and
2) To service stock yards previous located above these tracks.My only current reference for this second part is this obscure web page – with the relevant quote: “At 41st Street there was a wye as well as a stub track to several slaughter houses”.
This is however backed up by the location of a stock yard and slaughter houses on this old 1920s map.
As you can see, there was a rail line (denoted by the solid line with the slashes through it) running up the south side of W41st street to service the stock yards (where one can assume cows were delivered for the slaughterhouses). When these tracks were later placed below grade, my theory is a basement level loading dock was built to connect to the tunnel. It’s not very far fetched when you consider how many businesses modified their buildings to receive rail service from the (then new) High Line.
Underground tunnel + Slaughterhouses = “Cow Tunnel” ?
If you have a better theory and more information, please step forward with it in the comments. I’ll gladly update this & give cred where it’s due.
Until then, enjoy these modern day photos of the Luv (maybe Cow) Tunnel.
Junction of the ‘Wye’.
One of 2 Wye tracks, facing south (and yes, it’s Utah’s world, we just visit it)
End of the line facing 12th ave. Miru Kim & Ben Gibberd are the mysterious characters in the background – we were down there for his excellent NY Times story.
(Hey since I’m so plug-happy today, how about that Utah plug one more time? Utah, Bitches!)
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High Rise Construction Site
So we went into this high rise construction site and found absolutely nothing worth seeing. Really!
(well, it’s either that or I’m foreshadowing another post again)
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Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital Nurses Quarters
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Nurses Quarters (Building RG) is one of the most overlooked abandoned buildings in NYC.
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Baruklianic Flight 815
As we approach the start of the final season of Lost, I thought it’d be comical to throw this tribute online to Brooklyn’s own smashed and lost airliner. Located abandoned and exposed to the elements, these sections of 2 separate scrapped airlines lay derelict on the ground, awaiting an uncertain future.
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2000-2010 Ten large industrial locations that are no more.
The last decade has been very unkind to NYC’s industrial history. Many large abandoned buildings have been bulldozed, and others – which were still actively in use, have also been bulldozed in order to make way for high end condo buildings – which are of course in economic trouble now that the real estate bubble has burst. Here is my short Top 10 list of industrial locations within NYC that have been wiped from the earth in the last 10 years. The majority of these are only being revealed here by their real names for the first time.
1. Schwartz Chemical / The LIRR power house – LIC
2. Pepsi / Standard Oil – LIC
3. Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse – Greenpoint
4. Brooklyn Navy Yard Power Plant – Williamsberg
5. Washburn Wire Factory , Harlem Herion Shooting Gallery – Manhattan
6. Waterside Power Plant, Manhattan
10. Revere/Sucrose Sugar, Red Hook
In the coming months keep an eye out for extensive historic write ups on all of the above locations as well as some of the hundreds of others that we have visited over the last 10 years. We’re not going to stop there though… Keep your click hand free because you’re going to be coming back here for more… a lot more.
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St. Mary’s Tunnel 2009 – it’s not a swamp, it’s a cesspool
It was time for a long overdue return to this abandoned rail line to properly cover what has turned out to be the city’s failed clean up effort of the abandoned Port Morris tracks in the Bronx (aka ‘The Bronx Swamp’).
While the media seems content to throw the city administrators a lot of fluff pieces for cleaning up part of the line, we found that the tunnel under St. Marys Park is still full of water, and north of there – this former railroad right of way is still loaded with syringes, junkies and homeless camps.
The photos tell the story.
1905 – when the tunnel was built.
Former rail siding
Homeless camp at the northern end of St. Mary’s tunnel
Looking back into the tunnel – filled with garbage and shitwater.
Human Debris
Camp Bedbug.
Needles everywhere down here.
North end of the tunnel.