The New York Subway Uses This Townhouse As A Secret Exit

Strolling through scenic Brooklyn Heights, this handsome brick house might catch your eye. Perhaps you’ll buy it, move in, and spend the rest of your life there. Unfortunately, it’s a fake house, hiding a secret NYC Subway exit.

The Brooklyn Eagle reports that the mass transit ghost house, filled old electrical panels and little else, ties in directly to the city’s underbelly: “Located in the tunnel just east of the river, the exit disguised as a brownstone leads to a grimy-lit set of metal stairs that ascend past utility boxes and ventilation shafts into a windowless room with a door. If you opened the door, you would find yourself on a stoop, which is just part of the façade.”

Of course, the secret’s not so secret if blogs are writing about it, right? The NYPD knows that, and they’re making sure you don’t try to pull off an afternoon of real estate spelunking:

The NYPD’s heightened security measures around this exit, including an update in protection from a single bolt in the middle of the door to silent alarms and motion detectors, reflects concerns that a terrorist could use this passageway to sneak into the subway system or try to tamper with the ventilation.

Rats. Literally and figuratively. [Brooklyn Eagle via Curbed via Kottke]