Take a look at this seemingly unremarkable building, which could be a company headquarters or a multi-tenant building.
The true purpose of this building is something you would never guess from its unassuming exterior.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "All the gold bullion in Fort Knox"? The Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds far more gold bullion than Fort Knox. That's $250 billion worth, or 7,000 tons of gold bullion.
The United States owns only a small portion of it; most of it belongs to foreign central banks and international organizations.
Considering who owns some of the most valuable things in the world, this building must have some special features that justify their trust. Shall we take a peek inside?
First of all, the building is guarded by armed security guards, and the perimeter is constantly monitored by security cameras.
If you manage to slip past that, the next stop is the underground vault 24 meters deep where the gold bars are stored. The only passage leading up to it is a single 90-ton steel cylinder surrounded by a 140-ton steel and concrete frame. This passage is usually tilted at a 90-degree angle and is blocked by four iron bars until opening hours.
Outside of business hours, this passageway is sealed to such an extent that neither water nor air leaks out, and a person would suffocate in three days.
Once you pass through here, you will finally reach the inside of the vault. The vault room is under the same 24-hour surveillance as the building, plus it is equipped with motion sensors.
Congratulations! Now, let's take your gold bars. The gold bars are stored in separate compartments for each of the 122 account holders. Each compartment requires two combination locks, one padlock, and the auditor's seal. Unlocking each compartment requires three people: two New York Fed employees and one internal auditor. No single employee knows how to open all the locks.
Now, you finally have the gold bars in your hands. Each bar weighs a little over 12 kilograms, and there are more than 500,000 of them in total. Shall we make our escape now? But it won't be that easy. You'll have to go back through that tube, but it will probably be tilted 90 degrees or filled with New York City police officers who are dying to meet you.
Shall we start digging underground? The vault, like the passageway, is surrounded by a steel and concrete frame, and as a key part of the security system, it's equipped with a device that detects vibrations underground. Of course, we'll be digging in the heart of Manhattan, a place that's sure to attract a lot of attention.
There has never been a physical attempt to enter this building. This speaks volumes about how tightly this place is protected. Even if a brave challenger were to appear, it would undoubtedly end in mere "attempt."