Explore 517 Infrastructure Collections - Atlas Obscura
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A historical marker for the U.S. Camel Corps, in Indianola, Texas.
military history

The Most Interesting Camel in the World

Before she retired to L.A.'s Griffith Park Zoo, Topsy was a soldier, a builder, a miner, and a movie star.
Cara Giaimo April 4, 2017
"Smelly" Kelly, using his famous nose.
infrastructure

The Man Who Used His Nose to Keep New York's Subways Safe

From gas leaks to eels, James "Smelly" Kelly changed the history of the city's underground.
Eric Grundhauser March 30, 2017
Tollbooth in New Harmony, Indiana.
roads

The Case for Preserving the 20th Century Tollbooth

When highways were marvels, toll plazas were well designed.
Sarah Laskow March 30, 2017
Thirsty?
infrastructure

Portland's Love Affair With Its Special Water Fountains

Benson Bubblers are unique to the Oregon city, and it won't let anyone else have them.
Eric Grundhauser March 24, 2017
Permanently Closed
Vine covered columns activists hope to preserve.
Seattle, Washington

Seattle's Ramps to Nowhere

Activists are fighting to preserve these unfinished highway ramps as a tribute to the citizen revolt that halted their construction decades ago.
Remnants of the streetcar station.
Washington, D.C.

The Dupont Underground

Long-abandoned trolley tunnels just a mile away from the White House are turning into an art space.
Pedestrians inside the St. Pauli Elbtunnel
Hamburg, Germany

St. Pauli Elbtunnel

Hamburgers are intensely proud of their tunnel beneath the river.
Permanently Closed
Typical intersection.
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Freight Tunnels

A century-old network of freight tunnels underneath the city's historic business district.
The Chemical Treatment Tower
Washington, D.C.

Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower

Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
The Can Opener takes another victim.
bridges

5 Spectacular Transportation Failures

Infrastructure, you had one job...
Meg Neal February 20, 2017
animals

Murcia, Spain, Has a New Eel Staircase

Eels can use it to travel upstream.
Cara Giaimo February 15, 2017
Sidaway Bridge in winter.
Cleveland, Ohio

Sidaway Bridge

The ruins of the suspension bridge hang over Kingsbury Run as a ghost of racial prejudice.
Colourful cable cars
Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico

Mexicable Cable Car

Mexico's first public cable car soars over the congested streets outside Mexico City.
East Jerusalem, Israel

Western Wall Tunnel

Descend 2,030 years into the past in an ancient tunnel built to support Jerusalem's most famous wall.
USNO Master Clock
Washington, D.C.

USNO Master Clock

The most accurate timepiece in the world.
statues

Found: A 400-Year-Old Buddha Statue, Hidden Under a Manmade Lake

Work on a hydropower gate revealed the statue's head.
Sarah Laskow January 12, 2017
View of the Potomac Park Levee
Washington, D.C.

Potomac Park Flood Levee

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.
Strategic Air Command headquarters in the 1960s.
nuclear

In the 1960s, Telegraph Poles Were Equipped With Nuclear Bomb Alarms

They were simple-looking white canisters.
Sarah Laskow January 11, 2017