When I started Project Subway NYC, I did a (maybe not so thorough) search on the internet to see if anyone has attempted to do something similar. I don’t know how this escaped me, but recently I came across this clip from “Great Big Story”:

To put it lightly, Philip Ashforth Coppola loves New York City's subway stations. For the past 38 years, the New Jersey-based illustrator has been exploring the Big Apple's underground stations and sketching its mosaics in amazing detail with just a ballpoint pen. In 1984, Copp published his first volume of subway drawings, "Silver Connections."

Philip Coppola has been drawing and documenting New York City’s subway system, one station at a time, since 1978. He has since published four books in a series called “Silver Connections”, which are available on newyorkboundbooks.com:

Mr. Coppola’s quest did get some press, but the reason that it does not get more attention, has probably to do with the fact that he tries to keep a very low profile. Luckily and coincidentally, two weeks ago there was a screening of the documentary about him, by director Jeremy Workman, and so I got to see him speak. I went and I enjoyed the film as well as the Q&A session a lot. Mr. Coppola talked about his process and methods, and the audience discussed both the scholarly and eccentric side of him.

Philip Coppola and Director Jeremy Workman

The film, called “One Track Mind”, is 30-minute long and is available on Amazon:

One Track Mind