- 1 year ago
Discover the fascinating world of Fake Buildings of New York – hidden in plain sight across the city. These mysterious structures look like ordinary apartments or townhouses but secretly conceal subway tunnels, utility systems, and ventilation shafts. Learn the history behind these architectural illusions, why they were built, and how they blend perfectly into the streets of New York City. A true urban mystery!
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LearningTranscript
00:00So, just imagine, you're walking down the noisy streets of New York City.
00:06There are beautiful buildings, advertisements, cars, and millions of people around you.
00:11And then you notice something strange.
00:13A gray tower with no windows, no balconies, no signs.
00:18Right in the heart of the Big Apple.
00:20Where every square foot of land is worth millions.
00:24Where neon signs flash everywhere.
00:26But this building isn't the only one.
00:29They're built into the city's infrastructure.
00:31Not to be noticed, but to blend in with other facades.
00:34Hiding in plain sight.
00:36What's happening behind the walls of these structures?
00:39Who built them?
00:40And why?
00:42Fake Buildings of New York
00:44Take a look at the map.
00:54Here are some of the most well-known locations that are, in fact, elaborate fakes.
01:00And who knows how many more there really are.
01:02Let's begin.
01:04With Manhattan, where the biggest and tallest of these fakes hides in plain sight.
01:08A massive concrete tower without a single window or any signs of life.
01:14Just a vertical block of gray.
01:16This is the building at 33 Thomas Street.
01:19Its owner is New York Telephone Company.
01:22A subsidiary of telecommunications giant AT&T.
01:25Officially, it's their East Coast headquarters.
01:27But the truth is more complicated.
01:31Even before construction began, people could sense that something was off.
01:35During the planning stage, the project was called Project X.
01:39And its architect was John Carl Warnicke, a man close to the White House, thanks to his friendship with Kennedy.
01:46He worked on major government projects, from the Hawaii State Capitol to the U.S. Senate offices.
01:52Warnicke also designed Kennedy's gravesite.
01:54And his ties to AT&T weren't just professional, but familial.
01:59According to some sources, he had family connections to a corporate executive of the Pacific Bell, another AT&T subsidiary.
02:05In other words, this secret project was assigned to a trusted insider.
02:11Warnicke was given a tough challenge to build a skyscraper capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion right in the middle of New York City.
02:20Construction began in 1969.
02:23And by 1974, the building was completed.
02:26The architect met the challenge.
02:28The building was 550 feet tall and had 29 floors above ground, plus three underground levels.
02:35The average floor-to-floor height was 18 feet, much taller than standard high-rises.
02:41The floors were extremely sturdy, with a floor loading of 200 to 300 pounds per square foot.
02:47This is five to seven times stronger than the typical residential construction.
02:52The tower also stands out with its strikingly unique design.
02:55Its windowless walls are covered with precast concrete panels, embedded with Swedish granite.
03:02The surface doesn't reflect light.
03:04On the contrary, it seems to absorb it.
03:07Even the entrance is low-profile.
03:09Glass doors that blend into the dark stone.
03:12There are huge ventilation grills on the 10th and 29th floor.
03:16At night, the building has no exterior lighting, making it disappear into the dark.
03:21No wonder American sociologist and journalist William H. White once called it the tallest blank wall in the world.
03:28But why was this skyscraper designed this way?
03:32Was the fear of nuclear war so strong that they had to build a ground-level bunker?
03:36Partially, yes.
03:38In the 1960s, the Cold War was at its peak, and the threat of nuclear strike felt all too plausible.
03:45But that isn't the whole story.
03:47The first reason is security.
03:49The absence of windows makes the building more stable and durable.
03:53The second reason is technical.
03:54There is a lot of equipment inside.
03:57It's crucial that it stays cool to ensure stable operation.
04:00Windows let in too much solar heat, and with that, the risk of overheating the electronics.
04:05Moreover, according to Warnicke's original plan, the building was supposed to be fully equipped for any emergencies
04:12and have at least enough food and water to sustain 1,500 people for two weeks.
04:18However, it's unknown whether such supplies are stored in the building,
04:22just like it's unclear about how many people actually work there today.
04:26The building also has autonomous gas and water supply systems,
04:30and it stores 250,000 gallons of fuel for generators,
04:34enough for at least two weeks of continuous operation.
04:37It's as if everything were designed to survive a nuclear strike.
04:41The building seems to be one of the safest in New York,
04:44and you might think that in case of disaster, you could take shelter there.
04:48But no, it wasn't built to protect people.
04:51The main goal is to maintain communications, even under apocalyptic conditions.
04:55The structure of the building ensures that servers, computers, cables, and switches are fully protected.
05:02It's a kind of fortified telecommunications outpost.
05:06So, what's going on inside?
05:08Well, naturally, a long-distance telephone hub processes millions of calls across the country and abroad.
05:14It's a telecommunications hub, where major communication lines converge.
05:19Fiber-optic cables pass through, and traffic is monitored.
05:22All of this happens 24-7.
05:26Sounds pretty harmless, but as we've already mentioned, it's not that simple.
05:30Back in 1979, the building was featured in the satirical film Winter Kills,
05:36as the headquarters of a global spy network led by Anthony Perkins' character.
05:40Pure fiction, yet it seemed to be rooted in something real.
05:43Then, in 2013, U.S. intelligence employee Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing that the
05:50National Security Agency, NSA, was secretly collecting massive amounts of data on millions
05:55of people, intercepting phone calls, reading correspondence, tracking internet activity.
06:01This applied to both influential figures and ordinary citizens, all without warrants and
06:06without their knowledge.
06:08One such program was called PRISM, through which the NSA received data from Google, Facebook,
06:14Apple, and other tech giants.
06:16These documents contained a reference to this very building.
06:20According to the League, it's one of the NSA's most highly classified sites, known by the
06:25codename Titan Point.
06:27Available information suggests it houses special equipment for global surveillance, not just across
06:33the U.S., but around the world.
06:36Snowden provided the documents to journalists from The Guardian and The Washington Post,
06:41sparking a major scandal.
06:43The U.S. declared Edward a fugitive for treason.
06:46In the meantime, journalists sifted through the trove of data.
06:50New evidence of NSA activity was uncovered.
06:53Internal documents and schematics.
06:55Testimonies from former employees have also surfaced.
06:59According to them, there are special switches installed inside Titan Point,
07:03routing millions of calls, all monitored.
07:05Surveillance reportedly even targeted the UN, the World Bank, the IMF, and U.S. allies such
07:12as Germany, France, Japan, and many others.
07:16Other accounts also emerged.
07:18One plumber who worked in the skyscraper alongside his son said there were strange rules.
07:23As his team installed pipes and wiring, they discovered that some rooms were strictly off-limits.
07:28They were not allowed to move freely through the building.
07:31Certain areas had to be avoided.
07:32Once, while in the basement, the crew stumbled upon documents marked as classified.
07:38They included information on how to handle equipment in the event of a radiation attack.
07:43Another important detail, 33 Thomas Street is located very close to the New York office
07:48of the FBI, just one block away on Federal Plaza.
07:53And that's no coincidence.
07:54Internal NSA documents from 2011 explicitly state that NSA personnel who needed access to
08:01the Titan Point building had to first check in at the FBI office.
08:04If they needed to transport equipment, a cover vehicle was arranged, also through the FBI.
08:10What's interesting is that NSA personnel entering the building at 33 Thomas Street were strictly
08:16prohibited from wearing anything that identified them.
08:18No logos, badges, or even NSA lettering, so no one would know who they were.
08:24When an NSA agent arrives at the building, they follow a strict protocol.
08:29First, they ring the doorbell, then register and wait until someone comes down to escort them inside.
08:34Journalists from the Intercept once tested this themselves.
08:39They rang the bell, saw a security guard in the lobby, and noticed a guest logbook on the desk.
08:45Even the parking lot in front of the building is unusual.
08:48Some spots are marked with the abbreviation AWM.
08:52That's not a company name, but a special road code indicating parking spaces reserved for federal agencies.
08:59So, if you thought this was merely a telecommunications hub, think again.
09:04But wait, there's more.
09:06There are satellite antennas on the rooftop.
09:09In fact, this is the only AT&T facility that has a license for satellite Earth stations.
09:15Pretty much everything about the skyscraper raises suspicions.
09:19But this isn't the only high-rise in New York that seems a bit… off.
09:24Let's go back to the map and move to the Midtown Manhattan area.
09:27Look at this building at 111 West 57th Street.
09:35What does this structure near Central Park resemble?
09:38It almost looks like an obelisk, or maybe it's a monument?
09:42In any case, it looks like a giant needle stabbed into the heart of Manhattan.
09:46But in reality, this is a genuine residential building.
09:51It now houses luxury apartments priced from $7 million to $66 million.
09:55This is Steinway Tower, one of the slimmest skyscrapers in the world.
10:01It rises to a staggering 1,428 feet and has 84 floors.
10:07Its shape is extremely narrow, with a height-to-width ratio of 24 to 1.
10:12By the way, it's the second tallest residential building in New York.
10:16Looking at such a structure, one can't help but wonder, how does it not sway in the wind?
10:22To keep it stable, an 800-ton damper is installed near the top to reduce oscillations.
10:28By the way, the tower was built on the site of the historic Steinway Hall.
10:32It was there that a century ago, great musicians like Tchaikovsky, the composer of the Nutcracker and
10:37Swan Lake, performed.
10:39But there are plenty more buildings on the map of New York City that are actually fake.
10:44Here's another one, this time in Brooklyn Heights.
10:47From the outside, it looks like an ordinary townhouse at 58 Juraliman Street.
10:52Just look at it, a charming, burgundy-painted facade,
10:56wrought iron railings, and a massive front door.
10:59But the house is slightly different from the others.
11:02It has black window frames and tinted windows.
11:05That might seem like a small difference.
11:08But there's more.
11:09In reality, this is not a real house.
11:12Inside, there's no bedroom, no kitchen, no staircase to a second floor.
11:16In fact, there are no floors at all.
11:19Even the windows are fake, just covered with black polycarbonate.
11:23This townhouse is a decoy.
11:25Behind its neat exterior is a ventilation shaft for the New York City subway system.
11:30More specifically, it's one of the city's most discreetly disguised technical facilities.
11:35The building belongs to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority .
11:40It serves two purposes at once.
11:42It ventilates the Juraliman Street tunnel, used by trains 4 and 5,
11:46and may serve as an emergency exit for workers in case of incidents.
11:51What might you see if you peek through the gap in the middle doors?
11:54Behind the walls, there's an electrical room,
11:57and a staircase that leads straight down into the tunnel beneath the East River.
12:01Sometimes, you might spot MTA workers standing on the front steps with coffee,
12:05but there are no signs or labels here.
12:08Everything is intentionally designed to make the building look like any other townhouse.
12:13That was a condition set by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
12:17What was the reason?
12:18It all comes down to location.
12:20Originally, this area was part of a 40-acre estate owned by Philip Livingston,
12:25one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
12:28In 1804, a local judge purchased part of the estate and began constructing homes.
12:33The boundary between the two properties became a small street,
12:37which eventually became Juraliman Street.
12:40The first homes were built here in the 1830s.
12:43This neighborhood is considered New York's first suburb,
12:46and its houses are designed in the Greek Revival style.
12:49The mysterious house at number 58 was originally constructed in 1847.
12:55And yes, at first, it was a real home with residence.
12:58The house had a rich history and several owners.
13:01For example, in 1883, a man named Patrick Brennan bought it.
13:06This was confirmed by archivist Alice Griffin of the Brooklyn Historical Center.
13:11Newspaper clippings from 1893 even include an obituary for his youngest son.
13:15Since then, the house has undergone many changes, though most are invisible from the outside.
13:21At some point, its fate shifted dramatically.
13:24It ceased to be a residence and became part of the city's infrastructure.
13:28But what happened to make a home become a facade for a subway ventilation shaft?
13:32Since the early 20th century, the subway system has expanded multiple times.
13:37Today, millions of people rely on it to move around New York.
13:42But building new subway routes isn't easy.
13:44Without ventilation, passengers and workers could simply suffocate underground.
13:49So what do you do if you need to lay a subway tunnel beneath an area with strict architectural
13:54preservation laws?
13:56The answer is to keep the facade as it is.
13:59In 1908, the house was purchased by the Interboro Rapid Transit Company.
14:03Its interior was gutted.
14:05And it became the only Greek Revival style subway fan building in the world.
14:10And all this happened over a century ago.
14:13In the early years, the windows had louvres that opened and closed.
14:17Neighbors often reported plumes of smoke coming from the building.
14:21This louvre system was in place until 1999 when the MTA replaced the old generators and fans.
14:27Now, air from the tunnels recirculates through the rooftop system.
14:31Today, residents nearby occasionally hear strange noises.
14:35The hum of fans and clicks of machines turning on.
14:38Judy Schofield Miller, who lives next door with her husband and two kids, said they've gotten used to
14:43the buzzing and drone of the ventilation fans, which break the silence of their living room every
14:48few weeks.
14:49She says, you can hear occasionally if a train goes off the track, but once you live here,
14:54it goes unnoticed.
14:55And apparently, that doesn't scare off buyers.
14:58A neighboring house recently sold for nearly $6 million, and someone bought it.
15:04So, there you have it.
15:05A perfectly disguised townhouse.
15:08But the Juraliman Street house is not the only example of masking something with a facade.
15:14Although the following buildings were never residential.
15:17Their address is 415 Bruckner Boulevard, Mott Haven, The Bronx.
15:22At first glance, it looks like a row of tidy brick townhouses lining the street.
15:27Each one has its own entrance, walkway, decorative shrubs, and lanterns.
15:32Everything appears authentic, as if you've stepped into a well-kept residential neighborhood.
15:38But don't be fooled.
15:40Appearances can be deceiving.
15:43These aren't homes at all, but an electrical substation.
15:46The property belongs to Con Edison, the largest electricity provider not only in New York City,
15:52but also one of the biggest in the entire U.S., serving 3.6 million people.
15:58Back in the early 2000s, Con Edison saw a rapid increase in customers in the Bronx,
16:03matching the area's housing boom.
16:06The growing demand required new substations to distribute electricity across the region.
16:11But there was a catch.
16:13When the company applied for a construction permit, their request was denied.
16:17City officials and residents strongly opposed the idea of a
16:20technical monster plopped into the heart of a residential area.
16:25So, what did Con Edison do?
16:26They hired designers and let their imagination run.
16:30The task was to create a facade that would blend into the neighborhood's architecture
16:34and avoid drawing negative attention.
16:36That's how the design, inspired by classic New York townhouses, came to life.
16:41Faux windows, fake facades, fences, and even lawns.
16:45All part of an architectural disguise.
16:47And it worked.
16:48The authorities approved the project.
16:51As a result, between 2007 and 2008, they built the Mott Haven substation, named after the area it serves.
16:58The facade is made up of 1,150 individual panels and concrete elements, including columns, beams, and fence posts.
17:06All of this was manufactured off-site and assembled on location, like a giant puzzle.
17:11In the end, they constructed 14 townhouses, 3 apartment buildings, and a corner tower.
17:17Visually, the structure resembles a movie set.
17:20It looks like a version of New York recreated on a Hollywood backlot.
17:24If you've ever visited the Warner Bros. studio, you'll spot the similarities right away.
17:28The same kinds of houses found in many city neighborhoods.
17:31But here, it's all just for show.
17:34The building also brings to mind that townhouse in Brooklyn which secretly houses a subway ventilation shaft.
17:40Here, too, the real purpose is hidden behind a residential-looking facade.
17:44But there are key differences.
17:46Besides the fact that this building was never residential, the Bronx's site scale is far more impressive.
17:53It operates 24-7.
17:55The substation has two floors and covers a total of 125,000 square feet.
18:00Inside are hundreds of megawatts of power, substation transformers, and high-capacity cable systems.
18:07And all of this remains invisible to local residents.
18:11Many passersby have no idea what's behind the neat brick exteriors.
18:15One local even admitted that he had driven past the boulevard hundreds of times, all the while
18:20assuming it was a high-end residential complex.
18:23It's no surprise the project received an award from the pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete institute,
18:29which praised the architects for creating a believable residential space.
18:33Though that point is debatable, there's something just a little off about these houses.
18:39By the way, here's another building with truly unusual architecture.
18:44This time at the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 23rd Street.
18:49At first glance, it's just another fake house.
18:52Take a look at this facade.
18:54Too thin to be real, right?
18:56Or is it?
18:57In fact, this is the legendary Flatiron Building.
19:01One of the oldest skyscrapers in New York, and a true symbol of the city.
19:05Built in 1902 in just one year, the structure looks visually fragile,
19:10but it's actually a robust steel frame construction.
19:14With 22 floors and a height of nearly 285 feet, it's modest by New York skyscraper standards.
19:21But the Flatiron Building stands out thanks to its unique design and structure.
19:25Its Beaux-Arts facade is adorned with decorative terracotta elements.
19:30There were never any apartments inside.
19:32The building has always housed offices.
19:34For many years, up until 2019, it was home to the publishing house St. Martin's Press,
19:39which occupied nearly the entire building.
19:42The Flatiron has made countless appearances in movies and TV shows.
19:46You can see it in Spider-Man, Godzilla, and other films.
19:49In 1989, it was declared a National Historic Landmark.
19:52Today, it's valued at around $190 million.
19:56And while it might look like a set piece from certain angles,
19:59inside, it's a fully functional and very real skyscraper.
20:03And the next structure lies a bit farther away, in the southern part of Roosevelt Island,
20:08within South Point Park.
20:10It was once a functioning building.
20:12Today, it simply conceals infrastructure.
20:14At first glance, it looks like an old research pavilion, or maybe a museum.
20:19A compact Romanesque style structure, with reddish-gray walls and arched windows.
20:24But behind this charming exterior lies a modern electrical substation,
20:29and the technical core of the subway system.
20:32Originally, however, it was something entirely different.
20:35A laboratory.
20:37It was built back in 1892, when the island was still known as Blackwell's Island.
20:42Its southern end was packed with prisons, asylums, and hospitals.
20:46The small but elegant building was located between the former Smallpox Hospital and the Charity Hospital.
20:53It was the first laboratory in the U.S. entirely dedicated to pathology and bacteriology.
20:59The architects, Frederick Withers and Walter Dixon, were the stars of the era.
21:04Working in the Romanesque revival style, they didn't hold back on the arches and rough-cut stone.
21:10The lab was funded by the daughter of a certain Mr. Strecker, who wanted to honor her father's memory.
21:15She believed science lacked a proper base, and gifted the city a whole laboratory.
21:21A plaque at the entrance reads, Strecker Memorial Laboratory.
21:24As Dr. Childe once wrote, it was,
21:26"...an example of the good a clever woman can do to preserve the memory of a loved one."
21:31The lab was operated by City Hospital, and served it as a separate scientific hub.
21:37On the ground floor were the autopsy room, routine testing labs, and a morgue.
21:42The second floor housed research facilities and experimental spaces.
21:46For its time, it was a state-of-the-art medical complex.
21:50In 1905, the building was renovated.
21:53They added a third floor with a library, museum, and histology department.
21:57It also became home to the first pathology institute in the country, funded by the Russell
22:03Sage Foundation.
22:04Autopsies were performed here, tissues were studied, and theories were tested.
22:09It seemed like this would continue indefinitely.
22:13But in 1912, the institute and lab moved elsewhere.
22:17After that, the building was used by the city hospital pathologists.
22:21But in 1958, it was taken out of service and completely abandoned.
22:26By the 1970s, it was on the brink of demolition.
22:30But it was saved!
22:31In 1972, the building was added to the National Register.
22:36And in 1976, it became a New York City landmark.
22:40Why?
22:41First, for its architectural value.
22:44Romanesque style, rare detailing, and the involvement of a well-known architect,
22:48like Withers, all hold weight in New York.
22:51Second, thanks to the efforts of the local community and the Roosevelt Island Development Corporation.
22:57But landmark status is just that, a designation.
23:01It didn't guarantee restoration.
23:03The building remained abandoned.
23:05Simply now, it couldn't be torn down.
23:08Finally, in 1999, somebody decided to give it new life.
23:12A new subway line was being planned under the island.
23:15And there was a need for a discreet but secure place to house part of the system's infrastructure.
23:21The MTA purchased the building and decided to convert it into a power substation
23:25for the subway line running through the 53rd Street tunnel.
23:29Efforts to renovate the building began in 2000.
23:32The project was handled with great care.
23:35All equipment was hidden, and the facade was restored with the utmost respect for the original.
23:40Even the brick color and arch design remained just as they were a century ago.
23:46The wall still reads Memorial Laboratory, but instead of microscopes and lab notebooks,
23:52the interior now holds electrical transformers and subway life support systems.
23:57And you'd never guess, unless you were told.
24:00That's what good camouflage does.
24:02Bad camouflage, on the other hand, always leaves you suspicious.
24:07Let's move to another spot.
24:09This one is in Manhattan, at Mulry Square.
24:12And it's an example of a not-so-successful attempt at a fake facade.
24:17At first glance, the structure feels… wrong.
24:20A solid concrete wall, fake windows, and a facade that looks like it came from a sale of low-budget movie
24:26sets.
24:27But this isn't a joke, and it's not a temporary construction site.
24:31This is a building designed by the MTA, New York City's transit agency.
24:35And it stands right in the heart of Greenwich Village, where the streets still preserve the
24:40spirit of old Manhattan.
24:42Now let's figure out what exactly went wrong here.
24:45Previously, the site was just an ordinary MTA parking lot.
24:49But it was also home to one of New York's most heartfelt memorials.
24:53After 9-11, the fence at the corner of Greenwich Avenue and 7th Avenue became a spontaneous tribute
24:59site.
25:00People from all over the country sent hand-painted ceramic tiles with drawings,
25:05words of support, and the names of those lost.
25:08Simple, sincere messages.
25:11Around 6,000 tiles were eventually collected.
25:14The memorial came to be known as Tiles for America.
25:18But time passed.
25:19The subway aged, and new technologies were introduced.
25:22At some point, the MTA needed a location for an emergency ventilation system.
25:28A massive concrete structure designed to pull smoke out of subway tunnels in case of disaster.
25:34The challenge was fitting this hulking infrastructure into a historic neighborhood.
25:39The MTA chose to build a fake facade, a kind of mass, to conceal the raw concrete behind a stage
25:45set exterior.
25:47The idea was to make it look like an ordinary residential building, or at least something
25:52that wouldn't be a visual offense.
25:54But things didn't go as planned.
25:56The construction team was given blueprints that left the concrete exposed.
26:01No cladding.
26:02No real windows.
26:03No finishing touches.
26:05Just plain grey cement with a brick overlay on one side.
26:09The rest was empty.
26:11Journalist Jessica Siegel spoke with workers at the site.
26:14They admitted they were stunned.
26:16Normally, bare concrete is just a base layer, eventually covered with something else.
26:21But in this case, on the contrary.
26:23They were told to leave it as is.
26:25One of the workers said,
26:26We can't believe it either.
26:28When asked whether this really was the final look.
26:31Both confirmed it.
26:32And added that they were embarrassed to be building something so tasteless.
26:36And yes, this is really finished.
26:39One side, bare concrete.
26:41The other, a decorative facade with empty window frames.
26:46Local residents were shocked.
26:47Greenwich Village is more than just a neighborhood.
26:50It's a cultural treasure.
26:52Every corner here tells a story.
26:55Nearby are early 20th century banks,
26:57art deco buildings, and a historic library.
27:01And here, a concrete box that looks like it was dropped in from a post-apocalyptic movie.
27:06The Landmarks Preservation Commission, local boards, and community activists all tried to stop the project.
27:13They even proposed an alternative.
27:15To redesign the structure as industrial-style housing.
27:18To add storefronts, space for the tiles, and a public space.
27:22To create a memorial instead of a cement eyesore.
27:26But the MTA refused.
27:29There was also a plan for the facade to incorporate a 9-11 tribute.
27:33Part of the Tiles for America collection was to be installed at the base of the building.
27:38That was the promise.
27:40In the end, only a narrow strip of tiles appeared.
27:43As if someone remembered this commitment at the last second.
27:47What's interesting is that the MTA isn't required to obtain approval from the city's architecture commission.
27:53As a bi-state authority, it isn't bound by local landmark preservation rules.
27:58And the MTA took advantage of that loophole.