Random Historic Landmarks That Actually Have Secret Rooms (12 items)

(#8) The Basement Under The Lincoln Memorial

Beneath the Lincoln Memorial is a 43,800-square-foot vault called the Undercroft. Despite the fancy name, it was more like an unfinished basement than a chamber of secrets - until recently.

The massive monument was built in 1914 on a flood plain that had recently been created from the Potomac River. The muddy site forced the builders to dig a foundation 40 feet deep, where they built large concrete pillars supporting the monument. With no other purpose, the Undercroft was abandoned and forgotten until 1975.

The only historical significance to the Undercroft is it's also a site of authentic 1914 graffiti drawn by the builders. As of 2020, Washington, DC, was planning to renovate the Undercroft to turn it into a museum and visitor center.
(#5) The Tiny Police Station In A Light Post At Trafalgar Square

In 1926, miners across the UK went on strike to protest against an involuntary 13% wage cut, as well as an increase in weekly labor. This led to the general strike, when workers in other industries refused to work in solidarity. The stoppage lasted nine days.

Protests were common throughout that year, especially in London's Trafalgar Square. Police wanted to build a temporary police station in the square to monitor protesters, but public outcry forced them to drop the project. Instead, the police used one of the square's large light posts to house a tiny police station, hiding it in plain sight. It's currently used for custodial storage.
(#9) The 103rd Floor Of The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building officially has 102 floors. The main visitors' observation on the Empire State Building is on the 86th floor. But the 103rd floor is home to another observation deck that's smaller, more exclusive, and without any railing barrier except for a small stone wall about 2 feet high.

The 103rd floor observation deck is built into an antenna that was added to the top of the tower in 1950. It's inaccessible to the public for obvious reasons, although it is available for private viewings - usually for celebrities like Mariah Carey, Usher, or DJ Khaled.
(#2) Wine Cellars In The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge currently has two wine cellars, one on each side of the East River. When the bridge was built, portions of neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn had to be demolished in order to build the bridge's two anchorage sections, which attach the bridge to land. To compensate local merchants and offset some of the bridge's $15 million budget, wine cellars and other vaulted spaces were incorporated into the bridge's design.

Several wine merchants and other alcohol sellers began renting the spaces in 1883, when the bridge was completed. Except for the Prohibition years, the cellars remained in operation until World War II.
(#4) Apartments In New York Public Libraries

In 1901, steel baron Andrew Carnegie gave New York City a grant to build a system of 67 public libraries, which amounted to $5.2 million (about $100 million today).

Carnegie's libraries were heated by coal furnaces and required live-in caretakers, or custodians. Some New York City public libraries included apartments to house custodians and their families. Most have been unused since the 1970s, but the city began renovating them in 2016.
(#1) The Apartment At The Top Of The Eiffel Tower

When the Eiffel Tower was completed on March 31, 1889, it was a major accomplishment both in terms of architecture and science. The unusual iron structure was double the height of the previous world's tallest object, the Washington Monument. It was also a kind of research laboratory and eventually a radio tower.

The Eiffel Tower was completed ahead of schedule in just over two years, in time for the Paris World's Fair. That was enough to provide designer Gustave Eiffel some serious perks, like an apartment for himself at the top of the tower. It offered Eiffel one of the best views of the city.

Eiffel constantly declined offers to rent his pad, and rarely invited anyone up, but currently the apartment is viewable to the public.