Welcome to "The Hole"

When the NY Times wrote about The Hole back in 2004, they said, "It is the closest thing New York has to a border town... an isolated neighborhood that straddles the Brooklyn-Queens line. The five blocks at the junction of Conduit Avenue and Linden Boulevard have all the characteristics of a frontier town in the Old West." Now, years later, Nate Kensinger has visited the almost-ghost town and come back to tell the story with plenty of gorgeous images of the decay. He says, "The Hole is literally a hole. It is 30 feet below grade... sunken down from the busy roads around it. The neighborhood floods often and is only a few feet above the water table, so its homes are 'not incorporated into the city sewer system. They all have cesspools.'"

The Hole is known for its history as a body dumping ground for the mafia. One resident told Kensinger about the development that temporarily housed "200 dead bodies." Such activity dates back to at least 28 years ago, when the "the body of a Bonanno crime family captain" was found there. And since nothing says mafia like horses, that is the 2nd thing the area is known for. Reportedly "it was once populated by vast fields of horses. Many belonged to The Federation of Black Cowboys, who hold an annual rodeo nearby." The horses were "evicted" in 2002.

You can learn more here, but sadly, like Far Rockaway, this unique neighborhood's future is uncertain.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on August 26, 2009 1:36 PM

Comments [rss]

sexisicilian

You guys think I can get a deal on that house in the pics:)

LaLuneEstMorte

Hed should have been "Way Down in "The Hole""

brandonz

What in the Hole is going on? Nate Dorr just had a photo essay feature about The Hole in Impose Magazine like 3 days ago:

http://www.imposemagazine.com/photo-essay-in-the-hole/24182/

npdorr

Not a coincidence. We worked on this together.

wow 14th street

Past Taliban,

What you said is already breaking the US law

under the federal Presidential anti-assassination violation.

Good thing the Fed usually does not read this stuff.

What's your IP #?????

Kevin Walsh

A couple of years ago I dubbed the big pile of garbage at Dumont and Amber (I know my way around down there) Mount Bloomberg

www.forgotten-ny.com

NYCstressbunny

Does the sign read "Luxury Condos for Sale" yet?

Past Taliban

Finally! A 'decent' place to dump the bodies of GW Bush AND Obama after we lynch them both.

hotstepper

interesting article and amazing pics. thanks!

SikBug

Still looks like Queens to me, lolz.

whitecastlerock

Moammer Gadhafi could set up his air conditioned tent anywhere he wanted to out there...

Trilby16

Looks like a fun place to live. A bit of the rural countryside in the city.

drewo

Mosquito Gulch.

Bort

A neighborhood known for body dumping, cesspools, and decay. I'm failing to see what is sad about it being destroyed.

nicc

I want to see some perspective, Nate... I sure can't tell it's "sunken down from the busy roads around it."

[Every Tom, Dick, and Harry that buys a 5D nowadays says, "I'm a photographer!" don't they? It's getting tired.

If you walk like a duck, talk like a duck, and call yourself a photographer...you're still only a duck.]

blueballs

"...but sadly, like Far Rockaway, this unique neighborhood's future is uncertain."

Right. Because the residents of Far Rockaway are really proud to be uniquely living in impoverished conditions in an otherwise well-developed city. How sad.