Under Hangs: Photos of NYC’s Secret Freedom Tunnel Installation in Riverside Park

This weekend, Under-Hangs, an in-progress art installation at Riverside Park’s Freedom Tunnel, began exciting new developments. The artist himself sent Untapped Cities photos of the installation’s progress. (We did not include the artist’s name at his request).

“Under-Hangs” is part of an ongoing series of clandestine installations to highlight the allure of the urban subterranean,” he tells us. The installation (still in progress) currently consists of six miles of rusted cord suspended into the underground; it draws visual and natural connections at the threshold between the surface and the subsurface and works to encourage general curiosity regarding the history of the tunnels construction, occupation, and accessibility.

Over the past few decades, the Freedom Tunnel has been a popular site for creative artists. Located under Riverside Park, it was built in the 1930s as an Amtrak railroad. It was then used for freight trains until 1980, when its regular operations came to an end. After falling into disuse, it was taken over by street artists and christened “The Freedom Tunnel” after Chris ‘Freedom’ Pape, who was the tunnel’s most prolific artist. In 1991, it was reopened for Amtrak, although the occasional graffiti artist still comes by.

Stay tuned for more updates on Under-Hangs!

Next, read Catching Up With Chris ‘Freedom’ Pape, the Artist Who Gave NYC’s Freedom Tunnel Its Name and The Top 10 Secrets of Riverside Park in NYC.