The Municipal

ENGINEERS
JOURNAL
Vol. 69 Fall 1.ssue 1983

"The particular business and object of the Society

shall be to promote and advance the various
engineering sciences which are employed in the
government of the City of New York and to
elevate the sta_ndard of effi.ciency of egineers
employed in the various departments of the city."

-CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE I

In This Issue
President's Corner........ ;............................
The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel
by Robert Diamond and
Vincent R. Ricciardi, P.E...................... 2
Utility Location and Coordination
Council by Arthur Asserson, P.E.......... 27
The Brooklyn Bridge Centennial - 1983
by David Caplan, P.E. .......................... 35
Proclamation
Mayor Edward I. Koch ......................... 41
Rehabilitation of the Brooklyn
Bridge by John J. Lopuch, P.E............. 42
Digester Gas for Energy Conservation
by John W. Townsend .......................... 49
Published Three Times a Municipal Engineer of the Year................ 57
Year by The Municipal
Engineers of The City of Municipal Engineers Inspections............... 59
New York.
Installation of New Officers ...................... 63
Scholarship Program ................................ 64
Second Awards_ of Scholarships................ 66
Meetings of the Board of Directors .......... 67
Meetings of the General Membership ....... 75
The Municipal Engineers Journal

Editor's Note: Thefollowing paper was presented at the Municipal Engineers'

meeting on October 26, 1983 by Mr. Robert Diamond.

THE ATLANTIC AVENUE TUNNEL

THE OLDEST SUBWAY TUNNEL IN THE WORLD
A buried municipal engineering treasure found after having been
abandoned for over a century sparks dramatic development plans for
downtown Brooklyn.
by
Robert Diamond Vincent R. Ricciardi, P.E.
Speaker Author
Founder and President Civil Engineer
Brooklyn Historic Railway Bureau of Engineering, Office of the
Association Comptroller of the City of New York

Exhibit I
Original drawing of Atlantic Avenue Tunnel as it appeared in 1844

2
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

About the Speaker. ..

Robert Diamond is the discoverer of this historic tunnel. He also
furnished all the research, technical and historical data and the pro
posed development plan on which this paper is based. Mr. Diamond
is the Founder and President of the Brooklyn Historic Railway
Association, a not-for-profit Corporation dedicated to re-opening
the tunnel as a tourist railway, which he envisions as the centerpiece
of a dramatic development plan for Downtown Brooklyn.
The discovery of the tunnel has generated considerable public
interest and has received wide media coverage. Accounts of the event
have appeared in all major newspapers and leading magazines, as
well as on many radio and television stations both here and abroad.
Robert Diamond is an electrical engineering student at the City
College of New York and is the recipient of a long list of science
honors and awards. At the age of 18, he designed and built a
working scale model of a Satellite Solar Power Station, for which he
received invitations from NASA and the National Energy Founda
tion to participate in conferences in Washington D.C. on the subject
of Alternative Energy Sources.
For the past three summers, Mr. Diamond has been employed by
the City of New York as an Engineering Analyst in the .Bureau of
Engineering, of the Office of The Comptroller of the City of New York.

About the Author...

Vincent R. Ricciardi, P.E. has been in City service since 1979
starting with the N. Y.C. Transit Authority. In 1980 he joined the
Department of Buildings, and later that year transferred to this
present position as a Civil Engineer with the Comptroller's Bureau
of Engineering, where he met and worked with Robert Diamond.
Mr. Ricciardi's interest in the tunnel discovery, led him to persuade
Mr. Diamond to make a presentation to the members of the Munic
ipal Engineers and also to arrange for a subsequent field inspection
of the tunnel. Mr. Ricciardi agreed to write this paper and coordi
nate all activities necessary for the presentation and field visit.
Vincent Ricciardi holds a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering
from the City College of New York. For a 25 year period prior to
joining the City, he was associated with several steel fabricators in
various engineering and managerial capacities. In 1969, while man
ager of a company whose post-tensioning steel system was used in a
monumental concrete Picasso sculpture in downtown New York
City, he wrote an article describing the unique technical aspects of
the project. It was subsequently published in several magazines in
this country, Mexico and France.

3
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

INTRODUCTION
Discovery of The Legendary Atlantic Avenue Tunnel
Buried below the feet of New Yorkers, under one of the most
heavily traveled streets in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, lies a
unique and truly inspiring municipal engineering treasure, the
Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. It is the oldest subway tunnel in the world.
The tunnel was built in 1844 by the Long Island Railroad Com
pany and was the last leg of a rail link between farms on eastern
Long Island and the busy Brooklyn waterfront. In 1859 steam loco
motives were banned in Brooklyn and steam rail traffic in the tunnel
came to a halt. In 1861, the tunnel was sealed up and forgotten. Until
the present day, this remarkably well-preserved and outstanding
example of early subway tunnel design and construction, appeared
to be consigned to oblivion, were it not for the dogged determina
tion, research, ingenuity and courage of a young Brooklyn engineer
ing student, Robert Diamond.
In December 1979, when he first heard of the legendary Atlantic
Avenue Tunnel on a local radio broadcast, Mr. Diamond became
intrigued with the story. According to the report, it was a legend,
nothing more; however, his research of old maps, historical references
and other tantalizing clues convinced him of the existence of the
tunnel. Although finding an entrance had eluded other searchers for
over a century, this fact only served to further whet his curiosity.
Finally in Spring of 1980, his perseverance paid off, when his
research turned up a full-page lavishly illustrated story on the tunnel
in the July 23, 1911 issue of the now-defunct Brooklyn Eagle. The
article described how a 75 man search party organized by the news
paper failed to find any trace of an entrance to the tunnel. Also in the
same text was a statement that the reporter who had written the
article had found blueprints of the tunnel in the basement of
Borough Hall when it was being cleaned out. Although the incident
had occurred 69 years earlier, Mr. Diamond's intuition that the
plans might still be in existence proved correct. In June 1980 after an
exhaustive search in the Topographical Bureau of Brooklyn's
Borough Hall, he located the precious documents he was seeking. A
study of the plans indicated a manhole entry into the tunnel.
Shortly thereafter on July 28, 1980, Robert Diamond was the first
(and only) person to enter and explore the tunnel, and what had
been a dream became a reality.

4
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

HISTORY OF THE TUNNEL

Construction on the tunnel started in May 1844 and was completed
seven months later in December 1844. The entire structure was built
by several hundred laborers using only primitive hand tools such as
picks, shovels and pack mules. They were paid 83 a day for their
efforts. Several persons lost their lives during construction including
a foreman who was supposedly killed when he tried to force the
mostly Irish immigrant laborers to work on Sundays.
Other relevant project construction data included the following:
Architect Asa Stebbins
Engineer W. Vibbert
Contractor William Beard & James Collins
Total Cost of Construction $66,000
Since our research indicates the tunnel was in use for only 17 years
(1844 to 1861) two questions begging for answers are:
1) Why was it built?
2) Why was it abandoned so soon thereafter?
The physical dimensions of the tunnel are impressive even by
modern standards. The tunnel is approximately 2000' long between
portals and runs almost due east-west under Atlantic Avenue. Its
cross-section measures approximately 21' between stone walls and
17' high at the crown of the brick arch roof (Exhibit 2). Why then,
would such a grand structure in its day, be prematurely taken out of
service and literally abandoned? A brief overview of the historical
times and events leading up to 1844 provides some insight and clues.
Brooklyn became an independent City in 1834 and was engaged in
a fierce trade war with its New York neighbor across the river. In
those days, the independent cities of New York and Brooklyn were
then the nation's first and third largest cities, respectively. The popu
lation of Brooklyn was growing dramatically due, primarily to the
massive waves of emigration from Europe at the time and the rapid
expansion of commerce and industry.
Railroad building had just commenced in the young nation and
the new "iron horse" created intense financial excitement. Its vast
commercial possibilities were quickly seen by Brooklyn and Long
Island financiers who were among the earliest in the field. In 1832
these railroad pioneers obtained a charter to run over the line of the
present Atlantic Avenue route from the East River waterfront
(Brooklyn's South Ferry) to the village of Jamaica, a distance of
approximately 11 miles.
However, before the westernmost portion of the railroad could be
built, the railroad builders were faced with a formidable problem.
Atlantic Street, the name was changed in 1855 to Atlantic Avenue,

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 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

was originally conceived according to the July 23, 1911 Brooklyn

Eagle story ...
"...to be planted with splendid trees and lined with fine
buildings. Altogether it was to be a monumental highway, a
street built for carriage traffic and destined as the shopping
center."
Sensing that the local gentry would never approve smoky, noisy
and dangerous steam engines on Atlantic Street ...
"These railroad pioneers did, therefore, a very clever
thing. They forestalled all opposition by proposing to run
under Atlantic Avenue, coming out to the surface so far up
and so much out in the country that it would make no
difference at all. The plan went through with a rush and
became an instantaneous success."
The same writer concludes by stating:
"The old subway was built [so] that the beauty of Atlantic
Avenue, planned to become the finest business highway of
any street in any city of America might not be destroyed."
This was probably one of the first, and certainly one of the most
impressive environmentalist victories in the history of the young
nation.
Our research also indicated another possible reason for the build
ing of the tunnel in 1844. The tunnel was the final link in the Long
Island Railroad line from Greenport in Suffolk County to the East
River waterfront, a distance of approximately 95 miles. This rail
route was originally conceived as part of a main line between New
York and Boston (with freight and passengers crossing Long Island
Sound to and from Stonington, Conn.), See Exhibit 3. According to
the historian Stiles,
This Long Island rail road was intended, by its originators,
to furnish a short and expeditious route between New York
and Boston; but the risks and inconveniences of the passage
by water, from Greenport to the mainland, during certain
seasons of the year, as well as the subsequent establishment
of a continuous land route (via New Haven and Hartford),
defeated their hopes, and reduced the road to a merely local
convenience. The opening of the road, however, formed a
new era in the history and prospects of the island; and, as
was well said of it, "virtually altered both its form and loca
tion," inasmuch as it brought its eastern extremities almost
into the suburbs of New York. 'Thirty years ago," says
Prime, in 1845, "It was a tedious journey of three days, to
travel by stage from Easthampton or Oysterponds to
Brooklyn."

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Exhibit 3
Original Map showing Long Island Railroad as part of New York to Boston Rail System (circa 1844)
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

One of the results of the direct access to the East River waterfront
was that all of the Long Island produce previously sent to Con
necticut, was now brought to Brooklyn's South Ferry. This activity
further fueled the explosive growth of the new independent City of
Brooklyn. Prior to the building of the tunnel, all freight and pas
senger traffic from Long Island bound for New York had to be
transferred from rail cars to horse-drawn wagons in order to cross a
steep ridge located just east of the ferry slip. This was necessary
because the small steam locomotives of that era could not negotiate
the steep grades. See Exhibit 4 for a drawing of one of these
locomotives.
Therefore, another explanation offered for the tunnel being built
is that it was meant to solve a problem. The tunnel permitted trains
to reach the waterfront directly, without the necessity, expense and
inconvenience of transferring to horse-drawn conveyances to com
plete the journey.
While there may be one or more reasons for the building of the
tunnel, there appears to be no disagreement on the historical
recorded reason which resulted in the tunnel being shut down and

Exhibit 4
Small steam locomotive could not negotiate steep grades.

9
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

eventually abandoned. In 1859, after years of agitation, reported

rivalries from other railroad and transportation interests, and com
plaints from homeowners, the State Legislature passed a law ban
ning steam locomotives in Brooklyn. In 1861, the tunnel was sealed
up and the Long Island Railroad moved its East River Terminus to
Hunter's Point in Queens.
Almost overnight, the entire Booklyn waterfront economy was
shattered. Many factories, warehouses and hotels either closed down
or moved to Manhattan. Hundreds of jobs were lost and the pre
viously fierce trade war with New York came to an abrupt end.
The historian, Stiles comments ...
"It was soon discovered that Atlantic Street lost more
than it gained by the removal of the railroad while the loss
to Brooklyn was incalculable."
Vincent Seyfried, historian and author of "The Long Island Rail
road: A Comprehensive History " writes ...
"All the enterprise and business which used to animate
the lower portion of Atlantic Street died out at once....
Terrible and irreparable damage was done to the large
commercial firms along Atlantic Avenue, many merchants
ruefully admitted that millions of dollars of trade was
driven away from Brooklyn when the City was cut off from
communication with the Island ...The Banks and insurance
companies that formerly had their offices on Atlantic
Avenue moved away, and but few first-class stores and only
such as supplied local wants, remained. Below Flatbush
Avenue the street began to deteriorate. Tenement houses,
lager beer saloons and second-hand suppliers of all kinds
sprang up."
Almost everyone later conceded that the move had been a mistake
for Brooklyn. Eventually, later in the century, steam locomotives did
come back to Brooklyn, but it was too late, the damage had already
been done.
In retrospect, it is interesting to speculate on the possible changes
in Brooklyn's history if the tunnel and the waterfront access it
afforded had not vanished from the scene as it did. It would appear
that when the independent City of Brooklyn abandoned the tunnel,
it also, in effect, abandoned its own future as one of the leading
viable commercial entities of its time.

10
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

THE TUNNEL IN 1844

Design, Construction and Pioneering Aspects and Innovations of
The New Tunnel and Railroad
As stated previously, the tunnel was built in a 7 month period in
1844 by several hundred laborers using only primitive hand tools
such as picks, shovels and pack mules. Reference to Exhibit 2 shows
the basic design of the tunnel as a brick arch roof section varying in
thickness from 20 inches to 4'-0" at the spring line. The stone
masonry walls supporting the arch vary from 4'-0" to 6'-0" at the
base. The height of the tunnel is approximately 17' high at the center
and 21' wide between stone walls. The length of the tunnel is approxi
mately 2000' between portals. See Exhibit 1 for an original drawing
of one of these portals. While the masonry arch design concept was
certainly not new, its use on a buried structure of such magnitude
was a breakthrough. Our research indicates the tunnel is, literally,
the first and "oldest subway in the world."
The structure was the first railroad tunnel to be built by the "cut
and cover" method. Simply stated, this construction technique
involves excavating from the surface grade down to the invert, or
floor, of the tunnel, erecting the side walls and roof arch, and then
backfilling and repaving. Modern subway construction technology
involves maintaining vehicular and pedestrian traffic by us of such
temporary structures as heavy steel plates, precast slabs, or heavy
timber sections. While this was not done in 1844, the project did use
wooden foot bridges for pedestrian cross traffic.
Drainage in the tunnel was accomplished by having a continuous ,
3' thick sand bed running under the tunnel inclined at a 1 % grade
towards the waterfront. This system apparently worked well because
the tunnel when discovered was completely dry and there appears to
be no evidence of water, or water damage in any part of the accessi
ble tunnel areas.
The tunnel was ventilated by the innovative use of 3 large ventila
tion shafts extending to the street above. See Exhibit 2. These ducts
are oval-shaped with a maximum width of approximately 6'-0" and
are spaced 325' on centers along the middle third of the tunnel.
During construction, when it became apparent that unsupported
excavation could not be accomplished to depths of 37' below street
level, sheeting and bracing became necessary. This was another rail
road construction innovation at the time.
As stated earlier, the tunnel was a vital link in the first railroad
between New York and Boston. It was also the first subway, or
railroad under a city street. Several other Long Island Railroad
innovations of that era included:
(a) first use of a locomotive in N.Y.C. (1836)

11
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

(b) first locomotive steam whistle

(c) first rapid transit railroad
(d) first to use extensive rail to ferry connections
(e) first cowcatcher
(f) first to use railroad "piggy-back" cars - by trans
porting covered wagons on flat cars
(g) first use of track spike (1836) now standard
worldwide

THE ABANDONED TUNNEL - 1861

In 1859 as a result of considerable pressures by various groups, the
N.Y. State Legislature enacted a law known as "The Atlantic
Avenue Tunnel Act" which banned steam locomotives in Brooklyn.
In 1860, steam trains stopped running in the tunnel and were
replaced by horse-drawn cars. These conveyances traveled through
the tunnel during 1860 and 1861, at which time all service was halted
and the tunnel was sealed up permanently by the erection of 2 stone
masonry walls inside of each portal. What had once been a vibrant,
busy, urban underground thoroughfare rapidly became a dark mys
tery. Of course, there were endless stories and legends. Some of the
mere popular ones follow:
(I) A steam engine used to carry materials for the masonry seal
walls in 1861, was supposed to have derailed and considered not
worth salvaging. It was therefore buried in the backfill between the
west seal wall and the west portal. Robert Diamond's research indi
cates there is a very real possibility the locomotive does exist.
(2) The tunnel was purported to have been used as an escape
route for runaway slaves on their way to Canada.
(3) Tunnel used as a prison during 1870's.
(4) Confederate spies hid guns and ammunition here during Civil
War.
(5) Tunnel used by German spies in World War I.
(6) Tunnel used by German and Japanese spies in World War II.
(7) Organized crime gangs reportedly buried their victims here.
(8) An "army of Italians" grew mushrooms in the underground
vault entrances.
(9) Bootleggers and smugglers used the tunnel for storage.
(10) An illegal still made gin underground and sent it up by pipe
to a water faucet tap in a barroom in a store on Atlantic Avenl!e.
Interestingly enough, some of the artifacts found, such as mounds of

12
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

charcoal, bits and pieces of bottles and other debris, indicated possi
ble evidence of such an operation.
(11) Train whistles and vibrations can still be heard and felt on
quiet nights along Atlantic Avenue.
(12) The tunnel is supposedly infested with huge man-eating rats.
Obvrously not true, although the 120 year old skeleton of a 2' long
rat was found.
A dozen examples should suffice for our purposes. Perhaps, in the
near future, when and if the tunnel should ever be completely opened
up, some light will be cast on these and other stories.

THE DISCOVERED TUNNEL - 1980

On July 28, 1980, when Robert Diamond entei:ed an unmarked
manhole in the middle of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, see
Exhibit 5, and descended several feet below the street surface, he did
not know, at that moment, that he was standing on a backfilled
portion of the tunnel. The fill in question came up to within 2' or so
of the underside of the pavement he had just entered, see Exhibit 6.
When Diamond investigated the surrounding area with a flashlight,
he noticed what appeared to be a wall some 70' west of him and
realized then he was actually in the tunnel, albeit in a fill-in area. As
a point of interest, our research indicates that in 1957, a sizeable
tunnel search party organized by members of the Electric Railroaders
Association entered the exact same manhole as Robert Diamond
did, and failed to realize they were in the tunnel, precisely because of
the same backfill condition. Apparently, they never saw the wall.
In summer of 1981, the intrepid discoverer was able to crawl the
70' distance to the wall where he noticed the outline of a blocked-up
access opening in the concrete wall. The access was sealed with brick
and Belgian blocks. After several hours of hard work with shovels,
chisels and hammers, Diamond and several men from Brooklyn
Union Gas Co. who accompanied him on this underground mission,
broke through the opening and finally saw the full section of the
tunnel before them, exactly as it was when it was sealed-up 120 years
earlier.
Reference to Exhibit 2 shows the approximate locations of:
(a) The two stone masonry seal walls erected in 1861
(b) The reinforced-concrete wall with the blocked-up
access, erected in 1916 (described below) and
(c) The original portals and backfilled areas.
Sections A-A and D-D are views of the west seal wall and the
reinforced concrete wall respectively.

13
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

Exhibit 5
Robert Diamond at unmarked manhole entrance to tunnel.
Atlantic Avenue and Court Street

14
The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

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15
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

As mentioned earlier, in 1861, the L.I.R.R. sealed up the tunnel

with 2 massive stone walls (2' thick at top to 4'-0" at base) located
approximately 200' inside of each portal. When the surface entrances
were finally closed, the two entire underground areas (to the seal
walls) were backfilled.
In 1916, with World War I in progress, there was a spy scare, with
foreign agents rumored to be hiding in a "mysterious tunnel" in the
area. Because there had been a recent incident in nearby New Jersey
allegedly involving spy activities and in which an explosion
occurred, the story was treated seriously. The Highway Department
investigated the matter by excavating an opening in Atlantic Avenue
through the roof of the tunnel. In an effort to discourage any actual
covert activities, they erected a massive reinforced ccncrete wall
2'-6" thick at top and 5'-0" at base and backfilled the entire area to
the easterly seal wall. Research indicates that the Highway Depart
ment reported the underground structure as an unknown tunnel in
good condition.
The discovered condition of the main part of the tunnel surpassed
all expectations. The interior was dry and there were no visible signs
of distress anywhere. The areas outside the seal walls were back
filled, and, of course, the area between the concrete wall and the
easterly seal wall was also backfilled as described previously. The
ventilation shafts were sealed over, and except for some utility ducts
and conduits, the tunnel appeared to be in its original condition.
There are no tracks to be found however, since they were removed
when the tunnel was closed. See Exhibit 7.

REMEDIAL WORK TO FACILITATE

ACCESS TO TUNNEL
Problems Encountered and Solutions Employed
In the summer of 1981 the only way to enter the tunnel was to
climb 6 feet down a 24" diameter manhole, crawl approximately 70'
through a 2'-0" high space on top of loose fill to an access opening in
a concrete wall and then descend 12' down a chain ladder to the floor
of the tunnel. All this was done in complete darkness (using portable
lighting).
Before discussing some of the construction and logistical problems
and how they were solved, it should be noted that the entire tunnel
discovery was (and still is, as of October 1983) a non-funded venture.
Simply statetl there is no money available for necessary tools, parts
or equipment. Fortunately, through small contributions, the dedi
cated efforts of many volunteers and assistants (who worked 18 hour
days underground moving fill) and the material, service and techni-

16
The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

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17
 The Municipal Engineers Journal

cal advice from such organizations as Brooklyn Union Gas, Con

Edison and New York Telephone, Diamond managed to continue
his work.
Another more obvious built-in limitation is the 24 inch manhole
entrance. This makes it impossible to bring in such items as plywood
panels over 2'-0" wide or other large or bulky objects. One conse
quence is considerable assembly work underground. See Exhibit 5
for photograph of manhole entrance.
Since Robert Diamond is presently a college student, almost all
tunnel work has been carried out during summers. In July 1982,
together with a small band of dedicated volunteers and assistants he
embarked on a program to facilitate entry into the tunnel. He care
fully planned his program to accomplish 3 important objectives:
(1) Trench through backfill from manhole entrance to the access
opening in the concrete wall.
(2) Installation of wood stair from access opening down to tunnel
floor.
(3) Installation of fixed lighting and communication system for
convenience and safety.
The first task of trenching through backfill was viewed as similar
to a mining operation. The master plan called for excavating the
backfilled area by dumping the fill through the access opening in the
concrete wall, to the tunnel floor 12' below, and then installing a

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Exhibit 8
Temporary track and mining car used in trenching phase.

18
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

Exhibit 9
Volunteer crew in completed trenched and sheeted area
under Con Ed duct bank

wood stair using the new built-up fill as a foundation. The actual
trenching work was done by building a mining car out of plywood
panels and heavy rubber wheels, with one end hinged for ease of
dumping. The car ran on wood "tracks" which had raised side "rails"
to minimize the possibility of "derailment." See Exhibit 8 for details
of track. The custom-made car worked and the band of volunteers
excavated a trench 4 ft. wide by 5 ft. high or wide enough for 2 people
to walk through side by side and standing up. It was even necessary
to use horizontal sheeting in one area when a Con Ed duct bank
traverses the tunnel, see Exhibit 9. As an extra precaution against
intruders Diamond installed a locked door here.
When the trenching phase was finished, the second task of install
ing a wood stair was completed by assembling the necessary compo
nents underground and using the newly displaced fill as a base. See
Exhibits 10 and 11, which show the wall area before and after stair
installation. For additional details see Exhibit 8.
The third objective of illuminating the tunnel was accomplished
by bringing in power tapped from street lights at both the east and
west ends of the tunnel. In addition to having power from 2 sources,
this arrangement also reduces the size of wire cable required. Cable
entry into the tunnel at west end is via a small abandoned gas test
pipe, and at the east end is through the manhole used for entrance.
Fluorescent lighting (to save power and further minimize wire sizes

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The Municipal Engineers Journal

Exhibit 10
View of west side of concrete wall before installation of wood stair. Note
chain ladder and access opening

needed) is used throughout. Robert Diamond has also included

emergency type lighting (battery operated). All underground per
sonnel always carry hand-held lighting as extra precautions against
the rare possibility of a major power failure.
Another safety-related consideration was the matter of communi
cations. Diamond installed a telephone system throughout the tun
nel linked to outside.
The success of achieving these limited objectives in facilitating
access to the tunnel was dramatically demonstrated one day in
October of 1982 when approximately 1000 persons of all ages toured
the tunnel. See Exhibit 12. What had been originally conceived as a
limited inspection trip for a small number of persons, turned into a
grand occasion with New Yorkers and tourists from many parts of
the world patiently waiting several hours in line to view the magnifi
cent tunnel. Everyone loved what they saw. This moving event and
the continuing, universal, enthusiastic and exciting reaction to his
discovery has convinced Robert Diamond that the tunnel provides a
most spectacular focal point for redeveloping the downtown Brook
lyn waterfront area.

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 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

(
(
(
I
I

Exhibit 11
View of west side of concretre wall after installation of wood stair. Note: (I)
fill displaced by trenching on other side of wall (2) enlarged access opening
(3) overhead fluorescent light.

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Exhibit 12
Robert Diamond describing details of overhead ventilator shaft to tour
group on Visitation Day, October 1982

22
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

FUTURE OF THE TUNNEL

The Downtown Brooklyn Development Plan
The following proposal is based on the master plan furnished and
prepared by the Brooklyn Historical Railway Association.
By using the reopened tunnel as its centerpiece, we believe the
economic and redevelopment potential of the downtown Brooklyn
waterfront area is both tremendous in scope and dramatic in impact.
Our master plan for the development of the area consists of four
main stages.
In the first stage we propose re-opening both portals of the tunnel
and restoring the entrance ramps to street level. The interior
masonry seal walls and reinforced concrete wall would be dismantled
and removed, and the backfilled areas would be cleared. Any utility
ducts obstructing passage through the tunnel would be removed or
relocated as required. Concurrent with this, the original ventilator
shafts would be reopened and restored. When this is accomplished,
the entire tunnel will be visible, ventilated and fully accessible.
The second stage of the redevelopment project calls for bringing
back a vintage trolley line to downtown Brooklyn. This would be
accomplished by the installation of a single track in the tunnel and
connecting this to the abandoned track which presently runs along
the Brooklyn waterfront from the foot of Atlantic Avenue to the
Fulton Ferry landing. See Exhibit 13. From the east portal, surface
track can be installed in any of several different routes. One sug
gested circuit could traverse the new Fulton Mall Complex, the
Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Atlantic Avenue Terminal of the
Long Island Railroad, and return to the tunnel along Atlantic
A venue. Power for the system could be furnished by an overhead
line, subsurface conduit, or a self-propelled simulated steam
locomotive.
Urban tourist trolleys are not a new phenomenon in America.
Several cities, including Philadelphia, Detroit, San Diego, Buffalo,
Baltimore, Chattanooga and Seattle (not to mention the world
famous San Francisco cable car) have already built trolley systems.
In all cases, the trolley lines have succeeded in revitalizing the down
town area and promoting tourism. Brooklyn's historic subway tun
nel and the vintage trolley system would be an unbeatable combina
tion, something not to be found anywhere else in the world.
Features and appurtenances to augment and enhance the tunnel
and trolley system could include the following:
( 1) a staging area for passengers near one of the
portals.
(2) a pedestrian walkway in the tunnel for walking
tours.

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24
 The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

(3) gas lighting illumination at night.

(4) Wrought iron fences at portal surface areas.
(5) Period exhibits within the tunnel.
The third stage of our plan addresses the actual development of
the waterfront area itself. At present the waterfront trackage passes
through the abandoned Fulton Ferry Terminal which contains 19th
century warehouses as well as recently built piers which are also
abandoned and awaiting redevelopment. We envision this area to be
an ideal setting for recreational, cultural and perhaps even limited
residential purposes, with such attractions and features as a band
shell for concerts and outdoor theatre productions, a museum, pavil
ion, concessions, a small park and promenade, visitors center and
fashionable shops and restaurants. It is even possible to have stable
facilities here for a horse and carriage ride through historic Brooklyn
Heights and the waterfront area itself.
In a location which offers spectacular and magnificent views of the
Brooklyn Bridge and the lower Manhattan skyline, we envision a
tremendous influx of tourists and visitors attracted by the rede
veloped waterfront, historic tunnel and vintage trolley line. This
would result in a vastly increased volume of business in downtown
Brooklyn. In addition, it would be fully compatible with the two
important historical districts bordering the tunnel, Brooklyn Heights
on the north, and Cobble Hill to the south.
Finally, in the last stage we envision a ferry connecting the highly
successful South Street Seaport Complex in New York City with the
proposed Brooklyn waterfront development. This would provide a
double-barreled attraction offering visitors and tourists a unique
sightseeing experience unparalleled anywhere in the country. We can
also provide a slip for a sightseeing cruise or as a stop-over facility
for these boats. In our view, the overall development opportunities
and possibilities would appear to be almost unlimited.
In summary, it would appear that when the tunnel was shut down
in 1861, downtown Brooklyn and Atlantic Avenue withered and
died. Now, with the proposed reopening of the tunnel, downtown
Brooklyn and particularly Atlantic Avenue can come back to its
originally planned status as an elegant boulevard and fine shopping
center embraced by a bustling and exciting waterfront. In effect, the
reopening of the tunnel would result in the area blossoming and
coming vibrantly alive as it did in 1844, when the tunnel was origi
nally opened for business. Brooklyn deserves it.

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 The Municipal Engineers Journal

REFERENCES
(I) Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 23, 191 l issue
(2) History of the City of Brooklyn, Volumes 2 and 3, by
Henry R. Stiles, 1860
(3) The Long Island Railroad: A Comprehensive History
by Vincent Seyfried
(4) History of the City of Brooklyn, Volume 2, by the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1893
(5) Original Tunnel Plans, Topographical Bureau,
Brooklyn Borough Hall
(6) Long Island Star, various issues 1836 and 1844
(7) Brooklyn Daily Eagle, various issues, 1852, 1859, 1861
and 1876
(8) Proceedings of Brooklyn Board of Aldermen, various
excerpts from 1854, 1855, 1859 and 1860
(9) New York State Laws, Chapters 444 and 484, 1859
(10) Brooklyn & Kings County Record, 1855
(11) Map of Brooklyn, 1855
(12) Historical Sketch of the City of Brooklyn by
J. T. Bailey, 1840
(13) Brooklyn Village: 1816-1834, Wold, 1863
(14) Drawing of Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, by Office of the
Borough President of Brooklyn, Division of
Substructures, 1916

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author wishes to thank Sebastian J. Scialabba, P.E., for his
invaluable assistance in the preparation of this paper. His technical
advice and various contributions to the graphic exhibits and the text
are gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.

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