Open Thread Wednesday

By on August 25, 2021 7:26 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Andrew Porter

    They looked just like the rest of BH, that is, the interesting parts that were saved. I posted many photos of those forever vanished streets here, for instance 28 Vine Street in 1940:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6f9359a7bf0d7a0ae38d2bee00bc2f7536b28eedcff028b96bc55f347ff5532f.png

  • lois

    Does anyone know who the new owners of 8 Montague Terrace are: (one of the Vinnie Viola buildings, which he renovated and then sold for 25 million.)

  • Jorale-man

    They replaced the cornices and removed the fire escapes on all of those buildings now. The hardware store is long gone, alas. (I tried to post a Google street view image but it got hung up in the Disques void.)

  • RickP

    An article mentions a long “belly crawl” to enter the tunnel. How did he lead tours? Was there still a “belly crawl”, or was there another entrance?

  • TeddyNYC

    I think the deteriorating nature of the structure will make sure it will never last that long or even half that long.

  • CassieVonMontague

    A Delaware-based limited partnership M8T, so a shell company. It’s probably not money laundering, but you can never rule it out. I thought a new law made the beneficiaries of shell corps public, but i have no idea how to figure that out.

    The newly-renovated mega-mansions on my block were transferred to shell companies when they didn’t sell and then the shell company rents them out.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    I took the tour, I don’t recall a “belly crawl” but it did involve going down a ladder through a manhole, going along narrow passage and then down another ladder. There is no other exit, that’s why the tours were eventually stopped.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    The good news is, while COVID deaths are rising and on track to claim another 100,000 lives by December, most of those deaths will be unvaccinated, republicans. This could actually affect the vote in some states.
    Perhaps the lord does work in mysterious ways!

  • Banet

    The belly crawl was no longer needed by the time he gave tours as he removed enough soil to allow you to stand upright.

    I went down there twice. Truly astounding and a crying shame it’s no longer available for viewing.

    Also, some day it will collapse. After all – it’s just a big brick vault with 18 wheelers rumbling over it every day. You’d think the city would want to inspect it regularly or something.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Don’t underestimate the strength of a brick vault. Many examples thousand(s)+ years old are still working.

  • BizBurgh

    Well that’s pretty sick.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    You misspelled “Slick”

  • Andrew Porter

    I took the tour once. Ruined a brand-new pair of jeans as I recall. Lots of crawling to get in, and my height a hindrance; almost got stuck getting off the ladder and into the short excavation.

    Impressed by how you could see where the tracks and railroad ties had been, but had been removed.

    Stupidly hilarious thing was the company sealing the tunnel up were paid to fill it all in, but only covered the entrances, and no one found out until literally a century later!

  • Banet

    Agreed that many ancient vaults still stand but 1) they’re made with the ancient Roman concrete recipe – which is quite different, no? 2) they don’t typically have multi-ton truck vibrating over them, and 3) they’re not buried and therefore uninspectable for progressive damage and occasional repair.

  • MaggieO

    traffic on the approaches to the cantilever in both directions looks pretty bad according to the google traffic map, but I’m not hearing the kind of insane honking that usually comes with backups on Clinton… what are folks seeing in the neighborhood?

  • ykwthis

    Everyone here, make sure to schedule your third vax…..

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    We will and live on as the anti-vaxers keep dying off from COVID 19. Survival of the fittest, Darwinism in action!

  • CassieVonMontague

    Does JS want us to get vaccinated because he thinks it will kill us? Or is he genuinely concerned about the health and safety of his neighbors?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    I think given that JS is a neo-nazi, right-wing extremist

  • TeddyNYC
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    By concrete I assume you mean mortar, which fills in the space between bricks/stones thus equalizing the pressure on them, it is not an adhesive. Actually it’s not even necessary for a vault or arch to function, close fitted stones or bricks can do the job well enough. The mortar used in the construction of the Atlantic Avenue tunnel is most certainly still very strong as many a fine “recipe” was known in the 1800’s EG. the Rosendale cement used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
    FWIW, properly mixed and placed modern concrete will meet or exceed any Roman “recipe”.

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