Four NYC Buildings with Secret Pasts

New York City is made of up thousands of buildings serving thousands of different purposes. But have you ever stopped to wonder if any of those buildings weren’t exactly what it seem? We bet you didn’t know that NYC is home to some buildings with secrets pasts. Take a look at these four to see which structures are hiding some history.

Plymouth Church

During the abolition movement, one of the pastors of this church, Henry Ward Beecher, was an anti-slavery activist whose congregation aligned with the cause. Upon looking at the church’s records, it’s apparent that the building served as a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. The tunnels, which were allegedly used to hide and transport those escaping slavery, are shown on tours of the church today.

Rockefeller Center

During World War II, three floors of Rockefeller Center became the base for a covert ops organization called “British Security Coordination”. Run by a huge secret agency, the operation meant to change the minds of Americans, to make them see joining the war in Europe as a good idea. Through black propaganda and manipulation, it aimed to keep Roosevelt safe from congress condemnation and poor approval at the polls during election season.

Grand Central Terminal

Like Rockefeller Center, a section of GCT has been kept a secret up until recent decades. The M42 power station under the terminal was kept under heavy guard before and after Nazi spies put a failed plan into place to destroy the sub-station during World War II. The reason it is so heavily protected is because it is a major powering hub for Grand Central Terminal and several surrounding buildings.

New York Public Library

To some bookworms, living in a library may sound like a dream. Some number of decades ago, it was a reality when Andrew Carnegie donated $5.2 million to build The Carnegie Libraries, a set of city-wide library branches with attached apartments. The occupants of these apartments were tasked with keeping the coal furnaces lit and the libraries warm. Today, only 13 (mostly deteriorated) apartments are left.

So as you wander around NYC, remind yourself that you may be walking past an old World War II hub or a building with some serious historical secrets. To keep up with more Manhattan building news, connect with AMAA on Facebook and Twitter!

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