IND Station Vent Stack, Brooklyn

One of my favorite pieces of NYC street furniture. You’ll find these enigmatic objects, about 10 feet tall, near certain stations of the F, G, and A/C lines. I believe these were air vents above the token booths (remember those?), but given the footprint, I can’t imagine they moved a lot of air. At any rate, the combination of Deco-inflected geometry and 80-year patina of corrosion and graffiti just sends me.

I made this scan with an Artec Leo, unlike the rest which I did with a phone. Scanning the top section required an 8-foot ladder.

The capture process took about an hour. My assistant figured that wearing high-visibility vests and ID lanyards would allay the suspicions of any meddlesome passers-by. It worked.