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nycfoto t1_iqrihyi wrote

That's an areaway with a grate on top. Vaults are underground voids under the sidewalk that are attached to a building. Some sidewalks have them and are hollow. Most sidewalks are solid with earth and concrete. Some of these vaults are used as storage space or habitable rooms. They were once used for Coal Chute manholes to deliver coal to heat up the building.

As a Land Surveyor with the City, I've surveyed hundreds of vaults in NYC.

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[deleted] t1_iqtzfwk wrote

What an adventurous job! Kudos

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nycfoto t1_iqu0z76 wrote

It is :)

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[deleted] t1_iqu28kf wrote

NYC is such a verically layered city, I could only imagine the underground things you have seen. You must have a very different perspective of NYC than most New Yorkers. Respect!

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nycfoto t1_iqu36tr wrote

Thanks. 32+ years Surveying the city and I think I've seen it all. Streets, highways, bridges, hydro graphic water surveys, Rikers Island, etc.

Above ground and below, including responding to the WTC terrorist attacks after September 11, 2001. I worked 4+ months at Ground Zero.

Because of the job, I feel I know my way around the city like the back of my hand.

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[deleted] t1_iqu93m2 wrote

So if and when I want to do bank heists and use the nyc undergrounds to escape,you are the go to guy. Got it lmao

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[deleted] t1_iqu95xf wrote

Oh and much respect and thank for your service in 9/11. Shortly after that, I joined the military lol

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Bertie_Woo t1_iqu86qe wrote

Thanks for the explanation. Any idea why they wouldn't expand the building to fill the vault and add more square footage? Is it expensive?

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nycfoto t1_iqu8jow wrote

The building is built up the property line or behind the property line. A vault extends outside the building line onto city property below the sidewalk.

So you got it the other way around. The building can't expand out above ground. It would be encroaching on public property (sidewalk/street).

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olli_bombastico t1_iquhhm6 wrote

Did the City ever consider using these spaces/buying them off owners as space for the trash storages we are kept being told we don't have space for?

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nycfoto t1_iqvqrfm wrote

No. The only time they would reclaim such a space is with eminent domain, they take over a property legally & at market value for public use

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MuchTimeWastedAgain t1_iquh53v wrote

Are most now converted to living spaces?

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nycfoto t1_iquheui wrote

Some are unused & sealed.......or used for storage.

I saw a few in Downtown Brooklyn where they made them into an extension of a home office/den.

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MuchTimeWastedAgain t1_iquhmn7 wrote

Fascinating. But then again I only learned why there are still wood water tanks on buildings a few years ago. (Not a NY’er)

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Badweightlifter t1_iqujf5u wrote

>Some of these vaults are used as storage space or habitable rooms.

Pretty certain those vaults cannot be used as habitable rooms since it lacks the minimum natural light requirement. Also seems too deep to be considered a habitable room.

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nycfoto t1_iqujybk wrote

Again, I've been in these rooms or voids. I've had to do vault surveys before the NYC DOT planned on ripping up the sidewalk for roadway improvements. They needed to know what areas were hollow, before digging. Hence a vault survey.

You can stand in them and some have been converted to rooms. They are grandfathered in.

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