By Stacy Locke, Manager of Historical Collections
Title: Holland Tunnel Construction Records, 1920-1926
Primary Creator: New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission
Other Creators: New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission
Extent: 1.0 Boxes
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically within series.
Date Acquired: 09/27/2018
Subjects: Freeman, Milton Harvey, 1871-1925, Holland, Clifford Milburn, 1883-1924, Holland Tunnel (Jersey City, N.J., and New York, N.Y.), New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission, New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission, Singstad, Ole, 1882-, Tunnels--Design and construction, Tunnels--Ventilation
Languages: English
This collection includes official records produced during the construction of the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel, later known as the Holland Tunnel, and is comprised of several series: reports, contracts, and correspondence.
The series of reports encompasses ten bound volumes of official reports submitted to state government by the New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission and/or the New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission. Each contains a report by the project Chief Engineer as well as plans and photographs. Included are both rough drafts and final printed copies, arranged in Chronological order.
The series of contracts encompasses four contracts in eight volumes, between the New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission and the New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission. Each contains a multitude of contract drawings signed off on by both the Chief Engineer and Engineer of Designs, arranged in chronological order.
The correspondence series includes a single letter pertaining to the construction of the tunnel.
The Holland Vehicular Tunnel, originally known as the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel, is a tunnel running under the Hudson River between Canal Street in Manhattan in New York City, and 12th and 14th Streets in Jersey City, New Jersey. Work was begun in 1920 and completed in 1927. The tunnel was the first means of vehicular crossing of the Hudson River, aside from ferries, and the longest vehicular tunnel in the world at the time of its construction at 8,557 feet—or more than 1.5 miles. It was a massive undertaking and an engineering feat, specifically because of the necessity of an unprecedented ventilation system due to the amount of vehicle emissions.
Construction began on the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel in 1920, under the supervision of the New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission and the New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission. The design called for two tubes, each accommodating two lanes of traffic. The designer and first Chief Engineer of the project was Clifford Milburn Holland (1883-1924). He oversaw the tunnel’s construction until his sudden death on October 27, 1924, just days before the two sides of the tunnel were scheduled to meet. Upon his death, the project was renamed the “Holland Tunnel” in his memory. Milton Harvey Freeman (-1925) was then appointed Chief Engineer, but died less than a year later. It was Ole Singstad (1882-1969), the engineer who had designed the ventilation system for the tunnel, who oversaw the completion of the project.
The pioneering ventilation system devised for implementation in the Holland Tunnel by engineer Ole Singstad was groundbreaking, and made for the first mechanically ventilated underwater vehicular tunnel in the world. The system was unique in that it ran transversely to the tube, as opposed to parallel. It operated by use of four ventilation buildings, each housing large fans that would replace the air every 90 seconds. The innovative system soon became commonly used in other automotive tunnels. Singstad went on to engineer many tunnels across the world, including the Lincoln Tunnel, Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and Queens-Midtown Tunnel in New York City. Singstad is interred at The Green-Wood Cemetery (Lot 37084, Sec. 130).
Freeman, Milton Harvey, 1871-1925
Holland, Clifford Milburn, 1883-1924
Holland Tunnel (Jersey City, N.J., and New York, N.Y.)
New Jersey Interstate Bridge and Tunnel Commission
New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission
Singstad, Ole, 1882-
Tunnels--Design and construction
Tunnels--Ventilation
Repository: The Green-Wood Cemetery
Acquisition Source: Swann Auction Galleries, 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
Acquisition Method: Purchase
Processing Information: Accession # 2018-013
