Underground City - United States

United States

• Albany, New York's Empire State Plaza features an underground city which contains banks, a YMCA, restaurants, several food courts, retailers, a police station, a bus station, and a visitor's Center. The Plaza connects several government buildings to the Egg (a state-owned theater), the New York State Museum, the New York State Library, the Corning Tower (the tallest building between New York City and Toronto), legislative offices, judicial offices, and the Times Union Center.
• Atlanta, Georgia's “Underground” represents the original surface level of downtown Atlanta; the present streets are raised roadways (viaducts) built in the 1920s. The shopping center Underground Atlanta, taking advantage of the former street-level storefronts, covers six city blocks and includes retail shopping and restaurants. It was begun in 1968 and re-opened in 1989 after a financially forced closure.
• Boise, Idaho's Capital Mall Complex in downtown Boise consists of a large system of networked tunnels that connect all the state buildings. The tunnels have walkways and vehicle passageways. The underground area boasts a geothermal power plant, a banking system, extensive dining areas, parking, a dedicated mail room for the Capital Mall Complex and a fallout shelter. The main hall is decorated with art from local artists that was collected over a thirty year time frame. This collection is not often seen by the public as access is limited. Recent remodeling of the Idaho State Capitol Building has added new underground wings that are linked to the Capital Mall. These new wings have offices, meeting rooms and records storage areas and were designed to support the Idaho legislature when it is in session. Local folklore circulates stories that the Capital Mall Complex may be connected to the original Chinese underground tunnels that were used so Chinese immigrants could move goods to buildings, smuggle opium, and travel after curfew. However, there is little evidence these rumors are true.
• Chicago, Illinois' Chicago Pedway consists of approximately 4 disjointed tunnel systems, the largest covering about 10 blocks, connecting such buildings and transit stations as Metra's Randolph Street Station, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Macy's (former Marshall Field's) store at State and Randolph, Chicago Transit Authority's State Street and Dearborn Street subway stations, City Hall, and the James R. Thompson Center. Pedway Map
• Cleveland, Ohio: The Tower City Center, on the public square at the center of downtown Cleveland, houses a shopping mall with a food court, two hotels, and the Tower City Rapid Transit Station, the central station on RTA's Red, Green, and Blue Lines. The building connects to several office buildings, and also has an enclosed skyway to the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex.
• Crystal City, Virginia: A residential and commercial area of Arlington County, Virginia next to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Crystal City features an extensive underground city connecting its hotels, office buildings, and apartment towers and is lined with 173 shops, restaurants, banks, medical, and other services.
• Dallas, Texas' Dallas Pedestrian Network has a network of tunnels connecting buildings in the downtown area.
• Walt Disney World, Florida (southwest of Orlando, Florida) has a network of tunnels used by its employees (cast members) for transportation between venues, rest, staff preparation, and first aid. The main system is under the Magic Kingdom theme park. Other tunnels lie under Future World at Epcot.
• Duluth, Minnesota has a small network of skyways and tunnels connecting some buildings, including the Federal Courthouse and Convention Center (DECC).
• Havre, Montana
• Houston, Texas: The seven-mile (11 km (7 mi)) Houston tunnel system is set about twenty feet below Houston's downtown street system and is composed of underground passageways which, with above-ground skywalks, link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Theater District. Only one building, Wells Fargo Plaza, offers direct access from the street to the Tunnel; otherwise, you must enter the Tunnel from street-level stairs, escalators, or elevators inside a building connected to it.
• Irvine, California: A network of large tunnels running beneath the University of California, Irvine connects many of the campus' major buildings to a central utility plant.
• Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota: There are three major systems consisting mostly of above-ground skyways in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis's skyway system covers approximately five miles with 62 skyways. St. Paul's skyway system connects buildings in a 30-block radius in the downtown core. On the University of Minnesota Minneapolis and St Paul campuses, the Gopher Way connects most buildings and parking structures together using a number of skyway links and underground tunnels. A system of tunnels connects state office buildings around the Minnesota State Capitol.
• New York, New York: Several subway stations have direct access to one or more buildings. Additionally, most of the lower floor of Rockefeller Center qualifies as an underground city, as it features connections to subways, an extensive underground concourse, building connections, and several restaurants, all below ground. The area around Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal forms an underground network several blocks in size; much of it is within New York City Subway fare limits.
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Oklahoma City Underground, formerly the Oklahoma City Conncourse, named after its founder, Jack Conn, is an underground tunnel system connecting nearly all the downtown buildings in a 20-square-block area. The OKC Underground is one of the most extensive all-enclosed pedestrian systems in the U.S., extending three-quarters of a mile and connecting over 30 downtown buildings by tunnel or skyway. The original tunnel link was built in 1931 and the system was extended in the 1970s. Offices, shops, and restaurants line the OKC Underground system. It underwent a $2 million renovation in 2006-2007. Upon completion of the renovation, the Conncourse was renamed the Underground.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: There are several underground concourses in Center City built around the Center City Commuter Connection including parts of Suburban Station, Market East Station, the Market-Frankford Line, and Broad Street Line. It is possible to walk from 8th Street to 18th Street east to west and Arch Street to Spruce Street north to south.
• Richmond, Virginia: There are a series of connected tunnels between state government buildings in the city of Richmond. Certain passageways are locked off but a good portion of the tunnels are accessible from buildings. The purpose of the tunnels is not generally known; the two most common explanations are that they were built to allow people to move between buildings in inclement weather or that they were built as part of an emergency evacuation plan.
• Rochester, Minnesota: The Mayo Clinic's buildings in the downtown area are interconnected with tunnels and skyways. Other businesses are along the corridors, including a number of hotels that often house clinic patients. It is often called a subway, although there are no underground rails in the city.
• Rochester, New York: Nazareth College in the southeast portion of Rochester has an extensive underground network of tunnels leading from the dormitories to the major buildings on campus. Rochester Institute of Technology has several underground networks connecting dormitories and academic buildings together.
• Seattle, Washington: Several modern undergrounds and a historical tour exist. The main shopping district around Westlake has an underground connected with the bus tunnel. Another substantial corridor extends from Two Union Square to Rainier Square with connections to hotels, the 5th Avenue Theatre, and many retail shops along the way. The Seattle Underground Tour in Pioneer Square takes visitors on a humorous guided walk showing the original ground level of many buildings in that area.
• SubTropolis
• Washington D.C.: All of the buildings in the United States Capitol Complex are connected by tunnels and underground walkways, which provide easy passage between legislative office buildings, the Capitol building, the Capitol Visitor Center, and the Library of Congress in and inclement weather. The tunnels connecting office buildings are open to the public, but those connecting to the Capitol require security clearance to use. Small electric tramways run from the Capitol building to the Russell, Dirksen, and Hart Senate Office Buildings and to the Rayburn House Office Building. The tunnel between the Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building displays winning pieces of artwork from the annual Congressional Art Competition for high school students.