The Cable Building

The Cable Building at 611 Broadway rises nine stories with a limestone base featuring a two-story ground-level arcade. Light orange brick with terra cotta trim covers the upper floors, while the four basement levels house the Angelika Film Center.

Built between 1892 and 1894, this structure served as the power station for the Metropolitan Traction Company's cable car system. It supplied energy to cable lines that ran from Bowling Green north to 36th Street.

The entrance features two large sculptured figures by J. Massey Rhind that celebrate engineering achievement from the late 1800s. They show how New Yorkers of that era honored technical innovation through public art and building design.

The upper floors are accessed from the Broadway frontage, while the Angelika Film Center has its own separate street entrance. Visitors should note that only the basement levels are open to the public.

Four stories below ground once held massive steam engines and winding machinery that powered 40-ton steel cables. This hidden machinery was the working heart that drove the entire cable car system for the city.