# Secret library in the New York City subway



## CHamilton (Oct 8, 2013)

There’s a secret library in the New York City subway







Michael L.


> How long do you have to live in a city before you find out about its secret underground library? In my case, I guess it’s 10 months, because I just heard about the tiny New York Public Library branch (the Terence Cardinal Cooke-Cathedral Branch, officially) tucked away in a subway station.
> 
> The underground branch lives outside the turnstiles at the 51st Street 6 stop, and it sounds like a sort of literacy-and-public-transit-themedCheers. “You see the same people all the time,” patron Melissa Britt told the New York Times in 2010. “You can’t find this place unless someone tells you about it.” Another patron added, “If you don’t take the train, you’d probably never even know this place exists.”


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## SarahZ (Oct 8, 2013)

I just had a full-on geek-out moment. :wub:

That's so cute and awesome, but part of me was hoping they'd discovered an old library that had been bricked-up and hidden within the walls, with lots of antique books, letters, and journals. This is still pretty cool, though.


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## CHamilton (Oct 8, 2013)

SarahZ said:


> part of me was hoping they'd discovered an old library that had been bricked-up and hidden within the walls, with lots of antique books, letters, and journals.


You're probably thinking of the Beach subway, or maybe City Hall station....


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2013)

Well if one wants to explore, at least online, abandoned stations and tunnels for the NYC Subway this is a much better source for information.

And that black & white picture of City Hall Station doesn't do it justice. I got a tour of this station years ago and it is truly magnificent. Even covered in dust and after years of neglect, it was still amazing. The photo at this link from NYCSubway.org does a much better job at conveying the grandeur of the station.


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## Ryan (Oct 8, 2013)

That last picture is amazing.

Is that 3rd rail on the platform side of the tracks?


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## SarahZ (Oct 8, 2013)

AlanB said:


> Well if one wants to explore, at least online, abandoned stations and tunnels for the NYC Subway this is a much better source for information.
> 
> And that black & white picture of City Hall Station doesn't do it justice. I got a tour of this station years ago and it is truly magnificent. Even covered in dust and after years of neglect, it was still amazing. The photo at this link from NYCSubway.org does a much better job at conveying the grandeur of the station.


:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2013)

Ryan said:


> Is that 3rd rail on the platform side of the tracks?


Yes.


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## Ryan (Oct 8, 2013)

Interesting, you don't see that much anymore. Falling off a platform onto 3rd rail would really ruin your day.


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2013)

Ryan said:


> Interesting, you don't see that much anymore. Falling off a platform onto 3rd rail would really ruin your day.


While the odds do favor falling backwards, if one falls off the platform, there still remains a decent chance that one falls forward too. And the third rail has to go someplace.

However, since this station is closed as far as passengers are concerned, it really doesn't matter where the third rail is. In this case, I believe that the third rail was moved to the outer side, possibly to reduce wear issues. At the old South Ferry station, now restored again to service, the third rail was located on the inner side.


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## SarahZ (Oct 8, 2013)

I didn't notice the third rail so much as how low the platform is. I wonder why modern platforms are so high? With the low platforms, it would be easier to climb back onto the platform if you fell. Is it because of the way the newer trains are designed? Or is that picture just an optical illusion? At some points, it looks low, but I can see how the camera angle would be deceiving.

I wonder what those plaques say. It looks like the typical donor/board of trustees stuff you see in museums and historic buildings.


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2013)

SarahZ said:


> I didn't notice the third rail so much as how low the platform is. I wonder why modern platforms are so high? With the low platforms, it would be easier to climb back onto the platform if you fell. Is it because of the way the newer trains are designed? Or is that picture just an optical illusion? At some points, it looks low, but I can see how the camera angle would be deceiving.


That's an illusion caused by the curve and the photographer's position. That's a normal height platform.



SarahZ said:


> I wonder what those plaques say. It looks like the typical donor/board of trustees stuff you see in museums and historic buildings.


IIRC, those are dedication plaques back when the subway & station were built.


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2013)

More info on the City Hall Station, pictures of the plaques, and additional pictures of the station can be found on the NYCSubway.org site via this link.


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## SarahZ (Oct 8, 2013)

Man... I wish they all looked like that. I love those lights.

This site is going to keep me up for hours. Good thing I work the afternoon shift tomorrow. ^_^


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## SubwayNut (Oct 8, 2013)

I remember being very surprised when I found that library branch writing my 51 Street page. Unfortunately the branch is outside of fare control so without an Unlimited Ride MetroCard you can't return a book without paying the $2.50 fare again. I've got to stop there for another photo now that I realize it, don't have a decent one of the branch.

They do open the City Hall Station for Tours now and again to Members of the New York Transit Museum. I've last been down it on October when it was open for free 9 years ago during the Subway Centennial.


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