34th-42nd Sixth Ave. Passageway
David Pirmann
Greetings,
Today was one of those wish-I-had-my-camera days. I was getting off
the train at 42nd Street / Sixth Avenue, using the 40th Street exit
from the station. And what do I see but workmen doing lighting work in
the station, with the doorways in the south wall of the token booth
area wide open. And there's the famed and long closed pedestrian
passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
that I could tell, but it was LIT all the way down. Pretty neat piece
of history.
(From what I know, you could walk from 5th Avenue & 42nd Street all
the way to 34th and 7th Avenue at one time, without going up to the
street.)
--Dave
--
David Pirmann
NYC Subway Resources
http://subway.k2nesoft.com
Yoon Jae Lee
down there at 38 St-6Ave and I was about 4 or so and my mom and I were
almost mugged!!!! I remember her screaming and she grabbed me and ran
up!! I think it was closed about 1990 or so. If you go to 38 St, you can
still see grates where the stairway once was. I'm curious though, why
did the IND build it in the first place? Didn't they know figure it
would be worthless???
on the same topic, does anyone know the story of the 14 St 7-8 ave
passageway? It would be cool if that was open then you could walk a full
stations distance from 8 Ave to 6 Ave. When and why was this closed???
--
**********************************************************************
Yoon Jae Lee Conductor and Pianist of the 21st Century
"Take the A train, a great song and great advice!"
**********************************************************************
Ed (NY)
Kevin Walsh <erpi...@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<33254E...@earthlink.net>...
> <<<< And there's the famed and long closed pedestrian
> passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
> partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
> that I could tell, but it was LIT all the way down. >>>
>
> Why was it closed to the public? Mr. Cracky and Mr. Homeless, I
> suppose...
>
It was closed because of a well-publicized assault. The interesting
thing about the passageway is its origin. I believe it was built
in part to create access to the (new) 6th Avenue subway at 38th
Street in order to compensate for the loss of the 38th Street
station of the 6th Avenue el.
Kevin Walsh
George Grapman
I believe that it actually started at 6th Ave. and 40th.
Marc
When it was built you didn't have the same level of scum-paristic
preditors like there is now, it was a clean out of the weather way to
move about, in fact in many cities to the north of us underground
areas like this are fairly common.
To answer your question, when this was built security was not the
concern it is today
Yoon Jae Lee <kla...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>David Pirmann wrote:
>>
>> Greetings,
>>
>> Today was one of those wish-I-had-my-camera days. I was getting off
>> the train at 42nd Street / Sixth Avenue, using the 40th Street exit
>> from the station. And what do I see but workmen doing lighting work in
>> the station, with the doorways in the south wall of the token booth
>> area wide open. And there's the famed and long closed pedestrian
>> passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
>> partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
Robert W. Andersen
At the Union Square Station, there also used to be two long and wide
ramps, that each branched out into 2 or 3 ramps, leading from the
BMT Broadway line mezzanine down to the 14th St. Canarsie line. I
think these were sealed up sometime around 1975.
At the 34th St. Herald Square station there was another passageway ,
under 32nd St. I believe, that lead to Penn. station. This was sealed
up sometime in the '80s
And what about the Bathrooms!
Kevin Walsh <erpi...@earthlink.net> wrote:
><<<< And there's the famed and long closed pedestrian
>passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
>partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
>that I could tell, but it was LIT all the way down. >>>
>Why was it closed to the public? Mr. Cracky and Mr. Homeless, I
>suppose...
jab...@hoflink.com
On 10 Mar 1997, David Pirmann wrote:
>
> (From what I know, you could walk from 5th Avenue & 42nd Street all
> the way to 34th and 7th Avenue at one time, without going up to the
> street.)
>
That what people say, but I was never able to figure out how to
get from the back of the station (without paying for a fare) at 32nd on
B'way -6th Avenue) to the passageway at 34-35th (wasn't it on 6th Ave?)
and 40-41st Street. I used to walk from 8th and 31st (before MSG) to 33rd
and B'way - up and down numerous stairs, but never saw how the two
passageways connected. At B'way and 32 or 33 - you had exits and token
booths. But then again I was a teenager at the time, and might have
missed the connecting ramp.
Peter Rosa
Robert W. Andersen <robe...@pipeline.com> wrote in article
<5g4nui$1...@camel1.mindspring.com>...
> At the Union Square Station, there also used to be two long and wide
> ramps, that each branched out into 2 or 3 ramps, leading from the
> BMT Broadway line mezzanine down to the 14th St. Canarsie line. I
> think these were sealed up sometime around 1975.
>
> At the 34th St. Herald Square station there was another passageway ,
> under 32nd St. I believe, that lead to Penn. station. This was sealed
> up sometime in the '80s
I've heard that the Herald Square - Penn Station passageway was closed off
after Gimbel's department store closed. Apparently, the store had been
responsible for maintaining it, and the TA didn't want to take over the
costs once the store was gone.
stud...@aol.com
><<<< And there's the famed and long closed pedestrian
>passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
>partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
>that I could tell, but it was LIT all the way down. >>>
>
>Why was it closed to the public? Mr. Cracky and Mr. Homeless, I
>suppose...
And Mr. Mugger, and Mr. Rapist, etc. It was probably too dangerous down there for it too stay open with having cops placed in it. Does anyone know if there were entrances/exits to the subway system anywhere in the passageway. Or was it a transfer only. This is something that should be in a Transit Authority tour.
JC
__________________
Josh C
Stud...@aol.com
Virtual Institute of Information
Wait a minute - isn't that the passageway under Manhattan Mall? You can
still get there, off the N/R or B/D/F lines - exit 34th Street
turnstiles, and turn left.
Carla
AndEGold
I remember there being a passage from the PATH to Penn Station about
twenty years ago travelling as a kid with my father. I have been
searching for evidence of this for the past eight years. The closest I
can come is in Penn Station. I think the recent (2-3 yr old) ATM lobby
just outside the entrance to the AMTRAK concourse was the the end of the
passage. Where did it let out on 6th?
-Andrew Goldstein
Xerooid
The only subway entrances in that passageway were at 34th and 42nd
Streets. There were many entrances from the street that looked like
typical subway entrances, but led only to the passageway which in turn led
to the real subway. In nasty weather it was an exellent way to walk
between 34th and 42nd and there was no crosstown traffic to contend with.
Now that crime is down maybe they will reopen it :)
Marc
Good ridance! that passageway was the pits!
Peter Rosa
Virtual Institute of Information <v...@ctr.columbia.edu> wrote in article
<3326CB...@ctr.columbia.edu>...
[re 6th Avenue - Penn Station passageway]
> Wait a minute - isn't that the passageway under Manhattan Mall? You can
> still get there, off the N/R or B/D/F lines - exit 34th Street
> turnstiles, and turn left.
>
> Carla
>
> > > At the 34th St. Herald Square station there was another passageway
,
> > > under 32nd St. I believe, that lead to Penn. station. This was sealed
> > > up sometime in the '80s
The passageway is still there? I didn't realize that ... Anyway, thanks
for the information, I'll look for it!
Daniel Schwartz
stud...@aol.com wrote:
The passage was never a transfer - it was outside the fare-controlled
area, free for pedestrians to walk through. The north end (40th St.) had
turnstiles through which you could enter the 42nd street station; the
south end (35th St.) had turnstiles through which you could enter the 34th
St. station. There were stairways to the street at 38th St. It was
closed after a particular attack was sensationalized in the Daily News - I
think a woman was raped in it.
There was one other place I am aware of where a pedestrian passage
connected two adjacent stations on a line - that was between the 6th and
8th Avenue stations on the 14th St. line. Again, the passage was outside
the fare-controlled area of either station; along the way it connected
with an entrance to the 7th Ave. IRT's 14th St. station. At some point
in time a free transfer was instituted between the 7th Ave. IRT (1,2,3)
and the 6th Ave. station of the 14th St. (LL) line, causing the eastern
half of this passage to be moved inside the fare-controlled area of the
combined station.
Yoon Jae Lee
because my mom and I were almost mugged at the 38 St entrance. It was
real spooky when it was open. There was no sign at the entrance and once
you went down, it was all dimmed lights like those old IND stations!!
Yoon Jae Lee
Marc wrote:
>
> Good ridance! that passageway was the pits!
>
> "Peter Rosa" <pro...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >Robert W. Andersen <robe...@pipeline.com> wrote in article
> ><5g4nui$1...@camel1.mindspring.com>...
> >> At the Union Square Station, there also used to be two long and wide
> >> ramps, that each branched out into 2 or 3 ramps, leading from the
> >> BMT Broadway line mezzanine down to the 14th St. Canarsie line. I
> >> think these were sealed up sometime around 1975.
> >>
> >> under 32nd St. I believe, that lead to Penn. station. This was sealed
> >> up sometime in the '80s
> >
> >after Gimbel's department store closed. Apparently, the store had been
> >responsible for maintaining it, and the TA didn't want to take over the
> >costs once the store was gone.
> >
Xerooid
The Penn Station entrance to the tunnel between it and the PATH Station
was at the 7th Av subway entrance near the LIRR. The tunnel actually
started on the east side of 7th Av near what is now a fast food place. It
ran under 33rd Street alongside the hotel and Gimbels.
pls
Yoon Jae Lee wrote:
>
> David Pirmann wrote:
> >
> > Greetings,
> >
> > Today was one of those wish-I-had-my-camera days. I was getting off
> > the train at 42nd Street / Sixth Avenue, using the 40th Street exit
> > from the station. And what do I see but workmen doing lighting work in
> > the station, with the doorways in the south wall of the token booth
> > passageway that runs all the way to 34th Street station. It was
> > partially used as a storage area close to the 42nd Street end, best
> > of history.
> >
> > the way to 34th and 7th Avenue at one time, without going up to the
> > street.)
> >
> > --
> > David Pirmann
> > NYC Subway Resources
> > http://subway.k2nesoft.com
> Regarding the passageway, I don't too cool about it. My mom and I went
> down there at 38 St-6Ave and I was about 4 or so and my mom and I were
> almost mugged!!!! I remember her screaming and she grabbed me and ran
> up!! I think it was closed about 1990 or so. If you go to 38 St, you can
> still see grates where the stairway once was. I'm curious though, why
> did the IND build it in the first place? Didn't they know figure it
> would be worthless???
> on the same topic, does anyone know the story of the 14 St 7-8 ave
> passageway? It would be cool if that was open then you could walk a full
> stations distance from 8 Ave to 6 Ave. When and why was this closed???
> **********************************************************************
> Yoon Jae Lee Conductor and Pianist of the 21st Century
> "Take the A train, a great song and great advice!"
> **********************************************************************
brutally raped and beaten near the 38 St. entrance.
Yoon Jae Lee
Xerooid wrote:
>
> The only subway entrances in that passageway were at 34th and 42nd
> Streets. There were many entrances from the street that looked like
> typical subway entrances, but led only to the passageway which in turn led
> to the real subway. In nasty weather it was an exellent way to walk
> between 34th and 42nd and there was no crosstown traffic to contend with.
> Now that crime is down maybe they will reopen it :)
Not quite. It ran from 35 St to 40 St with an exit at 38 St.
Larry Gould
(1) The concept behind the 34th-42nd passageway was to have a "station"
at 38th Street without actually stopping the train. The old 6th Avenue
"L" had a station at 38th and the businesses at 38th likes the "traffic"
generated by a transit entrance.
(2) I believe that the 14th Street, 6th-8th passageway actually once
started out at Union Square. The U Sq. to 6th part was closed when the
line was extended from 6th to 8th.
--
Larry Gould
yt...@panix.com
Richard J. Concepcion
>> At the Union Square Station, there also used to be two long
and wide
>> ramps, that each branched out into 2 or 3 ramps, leading
from the
>> BMT Broadway line mezzanine down to the 14th St. Canarsie
line. I
>> think these were sealed up sometime around 1975.
There exists two long passageways under 14 Street, from 6th to
7th Ave, and from 7th to 8th Ave. Until the late 70's, it was
actually possible to walk completely underground from 6th Ave &
14th St.all the way to 8th Ave.& 17th St. The portion of the
corridor from 6th to 7th Aves is still in use but converted to a
"paid fare" area to serve as the free transfer connection from
the F train to the 1-2-3-9 trains. The 7th-8th Ave corridor was
one of those that had then been closed for "safety" reasons.
--
Richard Concepcion...Watch "Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends"
every Monday at 5pm on Manhattan Neighborhood Network Channel 16
over Time Warner Cable of New York City
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Rapid_T_Rabbit
Richard J. Concepcion
> > > At the 34th St. Herald Square station there was another
> > > station. This was sealed up sometime in the '80s
> > Anyway, thanks for the information, I'll look for it!
The 32 St.pasageway from 6th to 7th Aves.may indeed still exist
but it has been sealed up/locked off for years now. On the 7th
Avenue end you can still see the huge iron covered gate blocking
the entrance way from the subway mezzanine. On the 6th Ave.end,
the passage now may in fact be hidden behind a doorway set in a
tiled wall that was erected when Gimbels was converted to A&S
Plaza, now Manhattan Mall.
jab...@hoflink.com
On 15 Mar 1997, Larry Gould wrote:
> (2) I believe that the 14th Street, 6th-8th passageway actually once
> started out at Union Square. The U Sq. to 6th part was closed when the
> line was extended from 6th to 8th.
>
>
You can change the header, when referring to a message that really
has gone off-topic.
Any way, when the L (14th St Line) orginally ended at 6th Ave.
where was the crossover. I know there is one between 3rd and Union Square,
was that the one that was used to reverse the train, or did the tracks
extend beyond 6th Ave? If you look at the front part of the downtown
platform (Brooklyn bound) there is actually a very high ceiling (double
the normal height). Was there orginally another level there. It was
previous mentioned that in one of the work areas there is an orginal
token booth in the sealed up area. There is an office with an air
conditioner above the sb tracks. What division works there?