Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Mosaic in Beachfront Park.
Tsunami Walking Tour
Madam Yoko’s gravesite.
Madam Yoko’s Grave
Garden path.
Garden of the Presidential Mansion
Anabaptist Cages
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Golden Gate Bridge as seen from the Marin Headlands at sunrise.
Listener Stories of Leaving Home: From San Francisco to Japan
about 14 hours ago
Aerial view of Bell Labs Holmdel
How the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex Inspired ‘Severance’
1 day ago
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
3 days ago
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Manhattan St. Luke's Place Coal Hole Covers
St. Luke's Place Coal Hole Covers is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

St. Luke's Place Coal Hole Covers

These ornate manhole covers were used for a now-forgotten purpose.

New York, New York

Added By
Ike Allen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Farrin and McCullough coal hole cover   ikeallen14
The Farrin and McCullough coal hole cover   ikeallen14
The Abbot Hardware Company cover   ikeallen14
Saint Lukes Place   Map Data © 2014 Google
The Farrin and McCullough coal hole cover   ikeallen14
Feb 2018 - coal holes appear to be gone from in front of 17 St Lukes   greatoz99 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Today, most manhole covers around New York are relatively uniform: Some bear the ConEdison name, while others are etched with "NYC Sewer" or the leaf logo of parks and recreation. Those with an eye for urban infrastructure, however, will find that scattered throughout the five boroughs are a selection of older, weirder covers that remain in use.

The insignias and inscriptions on these manholes all tell stories about long-forgotten layers of the city that still exist underneath the sidewalk. Coal holes are one of the most fascinating of these forgotten layers.

A common addition to stately 19th-century row houses in the era of coal heating, coal holes were subterranean passages that extended from a home's basement to out underneath the sidewalk, where they would be accessible by manhole. In this way, coal could be lowered down into the hole and transported by workers to the house's furnace without dirtying the main entryway or living area. The hole covers were provided by local coal suppliers and iron works, whose names still adorn them, even though most of the companies are long defunct. 

Solitary coal hole covers can still be found scattered throughout New York City (look for them on any street in Manhattan or Brooklyn lined with 19th-century brownstones), but Saint Luke's Place in the West Village is notable for its two perfectly preserved covers sitting side-by-side. Saint Luke's Place, which is really just a name for one part of Leroy Street between 7th Avenue and Hudson Street, is a quiet, curved block lined with trees and beautiful brick row houses. The coal hole covers sit close to where the street curves, in front of house number 17. One is adorned with a sunflower and reads "Farrin and McCullough. 71 Watts St" (this nearby address is now an entrance to the Holland Tunnel). The other, a few feet away, is inscribed with "Abbot Hardware Company - Ironworks - 636-8 Columbus Ave." A large apartment complex now sits at that address. 

Saint Luke's Place is a great place to see a concentration of coal hole covers, but if you begin to look hard enough while walking around the city, you can spot many more of these relics of New York's forgotten public infrastructure. 

Update February 2018: It appears that the coal holes on St. Luke's have been removed (or covered up).

Related Tags

Infrastructure History Urban Planning Underground Subterranean Sites

Community Contributors

Added By

Ike Allen

Edited By

erjeffery, greatoz99

  • erjeffery
  • greatoz99

Published

June 26, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/the-long-gone-ironworks-of-an-older-manhattan/
St. Luke's Place Coal Hole Covers
17 Saint Luke's Pl
New York, New York
United States
40.730172, -74.005593
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Narrowest Building in New York

New York, New York

miles away

Greenwich Locksmith

New York, New York

miles away

Jacques Derrida's Favorite Banana Bread

New York, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York

New York

New York

Places 406
Stories 90

Nearby Places

The Narrowest Building in New York

New York, New York

miles away

Greenwich Locksmith

New York, New York

miles away

Jacques Derrida's Favorite Banana Bread

New York, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York

New York

New York

Places 406
Stories 90

Related Places

  • London logo with Mexico City train.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Metro Auditorio

    This Mexico City subway station will make you feel like you've been transported to the London Underground.

  • The cistern beneath the carpet store.

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Nakilbent Cistern

    A sixth-century Byzantine cistern hidden below a modern carpet store.

  • Salzburg Almkanal, Städtischer Arm

    Salzburg, Austria

    Almkanal of Salzburg

    The medieval network of canals hidden underneath the city is opened to explorers each year.

  • Part of an medieval aqueduct

    Nice, France

    La Crypte Archéologique de Nice

    The construction of a tram line unveiled hidden remnants of the old medieval city.

  • Cloaca Maxima’s outfall is near the Ponte Rotto bridge.

    Rome, Italy

    Cloaca Maxima

    The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.

  • Houston, Texas

    Downtown Houston Tunnel System

    The largest underground pedestrian tunnel system in the U.S. mostly caters to the people working in the offices above, but provides a great, air-conditioned way to traverse the city.

  • Parma, Italy

    Gallery delle Fontane

    A completely underground tour following the path of the most precious element: water.

  • Bremen, Germany

    Bremer Ratskeller

    One of the oldest wine cellars in Germany is now a restaurant beneath Bremen's town hall.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.