When a house is not a home: The fake townhouses in New York, London and Paris that are just a front for hidden portals into an underground world

It is one of a secret network of fake houses across the world which perform an more unexpected function

Behind 58 Joralemon Street, in the heart of Brooklyn, is actually a secret Subway exit and ventilation point

The white walls of 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London, hide an entrance to London's Tube network

At 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement of Paris there's just a ventilation chimney for the metro

Also in Paris, on Rue du Temple is a facade that looks like a secret passageway but is in fact an artist’s trompe l’oeil


It's in an excellent location, within reach of local schools, has very low maintenance costs and the transport links are to die for.

But nevertheless, even the most cunning of estate agents would have trouble selling this Greek Revival brownstone townhouse... because it's not a house at all. In fact, it's just a front - literally.



Behind the rustic red-brick facade of 58 Joralemon Street , in the heart of Brooklyn, lies a gaping void of nothing whatsoever.



It's a front! Even the most cunning of estate agents would have trouble selling this Greek Revival brownstone townhouse... because it's not a house at all

Through the keyhole: Behind the rustic red-brick facade of 58 Joralemon Street, in the heart of Brooklyn, lies a gaping void of nothing whatsoever

Air vent: It is actually a secret subway exit and ventilation point disguised as a terraced family home which towers above the New York City subway tracks



Historic: But in 1908, as the first underwater subway tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn was dug, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York bought the house, knocked it down and propped up its front with steel girders

It is actually a secret Subway exit and ventilation point disguised as a terraced family home which towers above the New York City subway tracks for lines 4 and 5.

It is one of a secret network of fake houses across the world which perform a far more unexpected function.

In 58 Joralemon Street 's case, it was once a private residence built in 1847, according to the Messy Nessy Chic blog.

But in 1908, as the first underwater subway tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn was dug, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York bought the house, knocked it down and propped up its front with steel girders.

Fake as houses: It is a similar story at numbers 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London

Hidden treasure: Its white stucco walls hide an entrance to London's Tube train network - the oldest in the world Upside of the tracks: The two five storey houses had to be demolished in order to dig through the tunnels but, once the finished tunnel was covered, it was decided that the houses wouldn't be rebuilt

From that point on, no longer did the smell of freshly-baked bread or meat pie waft from the windows but vented air that poured into the street, earning it the name among locals as the shaft house.

It is s similar story at numbers 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace in Bayswater, London.

Its white stucco walls hide an entrance to London's Tube train network - the oldest in the world.

'The two five story houses had to be demolished in order to dig through the tunnels but once the finished tunnel was covered, it was decided that the houses wouldn’t be rebuilt,' says Messy Nessy. 'Today, you’ll see these rather smart looking townhouses in place next to each other, but if you wander round the back of 23 and 24 Leinster Terrace and look over the wall, you’ll find the buildings are nothing more than 5-ft thick facades that disguise a massive gaping hole into the underground.'

In Paris: At 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement, lies another facade concealing nothing much at all

Aerial view: 'The building is only a front. Literally. The balcony is there, the door is there, but no building waits behind it. The false facade is there only to hide a giant ventilation chimney for the metro', says one blogger

Next to Paris, where, at 145 Rue la Fayette in the 10th arrondissement, lies another facade concealing nothing much at all.

'The building is only a front. Literally. The balcony is there, the door is there, but no building waits behind it. The false facade is there only to hide a giant ventilation chimney for the metro,' the blogger behind Paris by Cellphone writes.

Also in the French capital, on Rue du Temple and Rue Chapon in the Marais, is a facade that looks like a secret passageway to the Paris metro, but is in fact an artist’s trompe l’oeil.

Secret doorway? Also in the French capital, on Rue du Temple and Rue Chapon in the Marais, is a facade that looks like a secret passageway to the Paris metro, but is in fact an artist's trompe l'oeil

From wall to door: The facade was installed by artist Julien Berthier one Saturday morning at 7 in the morning on a ‘blind wall’

Vandalised: The façade, using the local architectural codes, occupying 10 cm of public space, is mounted and glued on in thirty minutes. Almost 4 years later, the address still exists. Regularly graffitied, it is cleaned out by the city service

'The facade was installed by artist Julien Berthier one Saturday morning at 7 o’clock in the morning on a ‘blind wall’ in the 3rd arrondissement,' writes Messy Nessy.



'The façade, abiding by the local architectural codes, occupies 10 cm of public space, and was simply mounted and glued by Julien and his team. Many years later, the fake address is still there and the city services regularly cleaned off the graffiti.'













