Essay of the Day

Essay of the Day features selected essays from my separate, non-public online journals.

This essay is from Journeys.

The High Bridge and High Bridge Water Tower

The High Bridge (originally the Aqueduct Bridge) is the oldest bridge in New York City. Construction on the bridge began in 1837 and was completed in 1848 as part of the Croton Aqueduct, which carried water from the Croton River to supply the growing city of New York about 10 miles to the south. The Croton River in northern Westchester County was the best source at that time for water sufficient in quantity and quality. The High Bridge was thus part of the first reliable and plentiful water supply system in New York City. In 1864, a walkway was built across the High Bridge. The High Bridge system reached its full capacity by 1875. With the opening of the New Croton Aqueduct in 1890, the High Bridge system was relied upon much less.

The bridge became obsolete in 1910. The city considered demolishing the entire structure but local organizations wanted to preserve the historic bridge. In 1928, of its 16 individual stone arches, the five that spanned the river were replaced by a single 450-foot steel arch.

The bridge has a height of 140 ft. above the 620-foot-wide Harlem River, with a total length of 1,450 ft. Its eastern end is located in the Highbridge section of the Bronx near West 170th Street and its western end is located in Highbridge Park in Manhattan at approximately West 174th Street.

The bridge was closed to all traffic from around 1970 until its restoration, which began in 2009. It reopened as a pedestrian walkway in 2015 after more than 45 years.

The High Bridge Water Tower, in Highbridge Park on the Manhattan side of the bridge, was built in 1866–1872 to help meet the ever-increasing demands on the city's water system. The 200-foot octagonal tower involved water that was pumped up 100 feet to a 7-acre reservoir next to the tower which then provided water to be lifted to the tower's 47,000 gallon tank. This "high service" improved the water system's gravity pressure. The reservoir became the site of a play center and public pool built in 1934–1936. During World War I, the tower was completely shut down and in 1949, the tower was removed from service.