{"nrhp_refnum":"06000015","name":"Joralemon Street Tunnel","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Subteranean tunnel ext. from Bowling Green (State St.) to beneath the East River to Joralemon St. and Willow Place","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.69805512200003,"lon":-74.00712584699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-02-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering","Community Planning and Development","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A subaqueous subway tunnel beneath the East River connecting Bowling Green in Manhattan to Borough Hall along Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, built 1902-1908 as part of the original IRT system.","why_significant":"It was the first tunnel to carry paying passengers under the East River and brought subway service to Brooklyn for the first time in 1908. It is an early example of shield-method tunneling and reflects innovative engineering for the original IRT system. It is significant under Criterion A (transportation, community planning and development, social history) and Criterion C (engineering).","narrative":"Running beneath the East River, this twin-tube subway tunnel links Bowling Green in Manhattan with Borough Hall in Brooklyn. Built between 1902 and 1908 for the original IRT system, it is about 6,544 feet long, with roughly 4,500 feet under the river. Workers used the shield method, assembling rings of bolted cast iron segments, each tube measuring 16 feet 8 inches across, and later lined the interior with concrete. The deepest point lies 94 feet below mean high water. Construction ran into grade problems, and long sections were rebuilt to give trains enough clearance. William Barclay Parsons served as engineer, John B. McDonald held the contract, and Andrew Onderdonk handled construction. When it opened on January 9, 1908, it was the first tunnel to carry paying passengers under the East River and brought subway service to Brooklyn for the first time, encouraging the borough's growth. Lexington Avenue Nos. 4 and 5 trains still use it. A rowhouse facade at 58 Joralemon Street conceals a ventilation shaft and emergency exit.","period_of_significance":"1902-1908","architect_builder":"Parsons, William Barclay (engineer); McDonald, John B. (contractor); Onderdonk, Andrew (subcontractor)","architectural_style":"Other: Cast iron tunnel","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use today by Lexington Avenue subway Nos. 4 and 5 trains; interior lined with concrete, with some spalling from rusting rebar.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.121117-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/06000015.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000015/04fc7e98e6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000015/04fc7e98e6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joralemon_Street_Tunnel_postcard,_1913.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joralemon_Street_Tunnel_postcard,_1913.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313815","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joralemon_Street_Tunnel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2634761"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/joralemon-street-tunnel-06000015/"}