722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York

Clifton Hood

JHU Press, Jul 13, 2004 - Science - 335 pages

When it first opened on October 27, 1904, the New York City subway ran twenty-two miles from City Hall to 145th Street and Lenox Avenue—the longest stretch ever built at one time. From that initial route through the completion of the IND or Independent Subway line in the 1940s, the subway grew to cover 722 miles—long enough to reach from New York to Chicago.

In this definitive history, Clifton Hood traces the complex and fascinating story of the New York City subway system, one of the urban engineering marvels of the twentieth century. For the subway's centennial the author supplies a new foreward explaining that now, after a century, "we can see more clearly than ever that this rapid transit system is among the twentieth century's greatest urban achievements."

What people are saying

Review: 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York

User Review  - Marcie - Goodreads

Interesting if you are interested in New York. An update would be appreciated.

Review: 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York

User Review  - Brent - Goodreads

It was incredibly boring. Not a narrative form, but strictly dry, historical material - More useful for researching.

Contents

• Preface: 5
• Introduction: 11
• The Merchants and the Subway: 19
• Prologue: 21
• The Great City: 29
• Making Government Safe for Business: 56
• William Barclay Parsons and the Construction of the IRT: 75
• The Subway and the City: 91
• Goodbye to the Patricians: 113
• The Politicians and the Subway: 133
• The Dual Contracts: 135
• Across the East River: 162
• John F Hylan and the IND: 181
• The Peoples Subway the Nickel Fare and Unification: 214
• The Revolt against Politics: 240
• The Kitchen Debate: 255
• Acknowledgments: 261
• Notes: 265
• Index: 323

About the author

Clifton Hood is associate professor of history at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. He was formerly a curator of the LaGuardia Archives at LaGuardia College, City University of New York.

Bibliographic information

• Title: 722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York; 722 Miles
• Author: Clifton Hood
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: JHU Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0801880548, 9780801880544
• Length: 335 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA); Science / History; Transportation / Public Transportation; Transportation / Railroads / General; Transportation / Railroads / History