New York, NY - Urban Archive

South of Union Square

Story

An Ode to Concrete

Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. It is hidden under the surface of the city: forming the foundations of skyscrapers, snaking underground as tunnels, retaining tons of earth laterally to clear space for inhabitation, or anchoring the steel structure of the elevated train lines. New York is, after all, the concrete jungle.

By

New York Transit Museum

1

161st Street—Yankee Stadium Station, IRT Jerome Avenue and IND Concourse Lines

161st Street—Yankee Stadium Station, IRT Jerome Avenue and IND Concourse Lines

This Art Deco train station now primarily serves Yankee Stadium, which is just adjacent to this mammoth concrete structure. It was built in 1917, 6 years before the Yankees moved out of the Polo Grounds.

2

Polo Grounds

Polo Grounds

This ribbed wall is a portion of the southern side of the Polo Grounds. The photo was taken prior to the construction of both the Manhattan Field and the 161st Street line into the Bronx.

3

Hunters Point Avenue Station, IRT Flushing Line

Hunters Point Avenue Station, IRT Flushing Line

Pictured here is the construction of the Hunter's Point Avenue Station, completed in 1916. The station serves the 7 train and is the only underground station on the Queens portion of the line, besides the terminal at Flushing-Main Street.

4

Pelham Parkway Station, IRT White Plains Road Line

Pelham Parkway Station, IRT White Plains Road Line

The Pelham Parkway Station now serves the 5 train. It opened in 1912 to serve the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway. The station closed after 25 years when the NYW\&B went bankrupt. It reopened in 1941 when the city acquired a portion of the tracks to be used for the Bronx subway line.

5

520 Fourth Avenue

520 Fourth Avenue

This 8'-5" wooden siphon form was used for pouring concrete.

6

40th Street- Lowery Station

40th Street- Lowery Station

The Lowery Station is located on 40th Street and Queens Boulevard. "Lowery" refers to the name of 40th Street when the station was constructed in 1917.

7

60th Street Tunnel

60th Street Tunnel

The 60th Street tunnel began construction shortly after 1907. The Quebec Bridge's collapse led to an investigation of the Queensboro Bridge, which at the time was under consideration to carry the subway from Queens to Manhattan. The inspection determined that the bridge was not suited to carry the additional load of the subway trains, prompting the construction of a tunnel.

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