Creepy crawling: exploring the campus’ tunnels

Scott Fabricant
Eitan Hochster

The underground tunnels that crisscross campus are one of the more mysterious aspects of the University. Originally built to carry steam, power, and telecommunications lines to buildings during the World’s Fair, their time is slowly coming to an end.

The oldest of the tunnels connects the original power plant with Brookings and the other original buildings. The cramped space is constructed out of limestone, similar to most sewers. Water drips from the ceiling and thick mud cakes the floor. Most of the tunnel is pitch-black, though there are unscrewed naked bulbs scattered around. Valves stick out from the wall to poke a passerby in the stomach. The low ceilings seem designed to scalp unsuspecting victims. No rats in sight, oddly enough.

“I’ve never seen a live rat, but I’ve seen plenty of dead ones,” said Bob Nicholson, special projects engineer and University employee of 25 years.

One surprising fact about the old tunnel is the amount of graffiti peppering the walls. According to Nicholson, before construction removed much of the tunnel, it ran from the power plant all the way past Frat Row. Students could access the tunnel through a manhole cover, and would spray paint the walls during pledging or for other reasons.

Newer tunnels were constructed in the ’30s and ’60s. The newer tunnels are constructed out of concrete and are wider for easier access. Many of these tunnels are directly connected to the basements of the buildings. Some buildings, such as Duncker, are connected to the tunnels by way of a crawlspace that a small child would have trouble fitting through. Others, such as the Women’s Building, are connected by tunnels so crammed by tubes that contortionists would throw up their hands in frustration. While many students may wish to use the tunnels to commute to class during cold days, January Tunnel is the only user-friendly option.

“You wouldn’t want to have to climb a ladder to class,” said Nicholson.

In the basement of Rebstock Hall are water chillers, huge vats that make the power plant boilers look small. They circulate cold water throughout Danforth Campus. They are also so loud people can barely hear themselves speaking near them. On the wall just outside the door to the basement of Rebstock is a case for a breathing apparatus in case the fluids or gasses used in refrigeration, known as Freon, leak from the chillers. Unsettlingly, the case is empty.

Many of the old tunnels have been disrupted by construction. When new buildings are built, the steam, power and telecommunications lines are simply buried in the ground. This change has had some controversy. When something breaks, the tunnels are easier to access and fix. But tunnels are expensive to build.

“Now you’ve got to dig it up instead of walking to it. But the front-end costs for building the tunnel is a huge amount of money versus digging it. In some ways it would be easier to get to, but in some ways it would not,” said John Perkins, utility zones manager. “If you have a tunnel and you need to build a new building, then you need to construct a new tunnel to get around construction. There are pros and cons to both ways.”

With new construction, the age of underground tunnels on campus is coming to an end. No more fraternity spray paint. No more dead rats. No more horrible stench, thick mud and the inflicting of wounds from low ceilings and jutting out valves.

Leave a Reply