Officials found a metal box at the former MTA headquarters at 370 Jay St., but were disappointed by what was in it. There was only mud, sand and some soggy items.
A time capsule buried in 1950 outside the former NYC Transit headquarters in Brooklyn proved to be just as impervious as the subway, as NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco explained at the Jay St. site.
“It’s fascinating to be here, but I do wish it was a little more watertight.”
The unveiling was orchestrated by the New York Transit Museum and featured reps from the MTA and New York University. It was buried 64 years ago beneath a large paving stone in a ceremony led by Mayor William O’Dwyer to commemorate the construction of the building. The building was considered a masterful example of the Modernist style, at the time.
The capsule contained a few newspapers and a glass container believed to have held microfilm showing the building’s original construction blueprint.
Experts on hand said nothing in the time capsule was salvageable, except for a nickel.
