Rochester Abandoned Subway

Rochester’s Abandoned Subway

For 61 years, the City of Rochester had an abandoned subway system that contained tunnels filled with graffiti by artists and locals. The abandoned subway served as a cultural and artistic hub that provided the city a unique artistic identity and landmark. However, despite its popularity, the City of Rochester chose to demolish the site.

Currently, this is the only known text to document the subway’s history, photos of the subway tunnel’s graffiti, and testimonials of artists and locals who were influenced by the space. Historical research of the subway was conducted through visits with the City of Rochester’s Municipal Archives and Records and the digital database through the Monroe County Library Database. Interviews with artists who frequented the tunnels, the city engineer, and writings from a graffiti journalist were included to narrate the problem of dealing with a complicated urban space. Overall, this artist book documents a piece of Rochester’s history and questions to what extent the abandoned subway had a cultural impact on the city of Rochester.