NYC Parks Celebrates the 175th Anniversary of The High Bridge

Bronx, NYC Parks Department, The High Bridge

 

 

The High Bridge, 1849 by artist F. (Fanny) Palmer. Image credit: New York Public Library Digital Collection.

On June 6, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Department of Design and Construction First Deputy Commissioner Eric Macfarlane, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Council Member Althea Stevens, Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Sonia Manzano (Maria from “Sesame Street”), Bronx Children’s Museum, Chauncy Young of Harlem River Working Group, community organizations, local residents, and students to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the High Bridge.

The High Bridge. Photo credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

Opened in 1848 as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the city’s first reliable water supply system, the High Bridge is the oldest standing bridge in New York City and connects Manhattan with the Bronx. After being closed for more than 40 years, the bridge was reopened in 2015 after an extensive reconstruction project conducted by Parks in partnership with the Department of Design and Construction. The restoration of the High Bridge once again reconnected the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx with more than 125 acres of green space in Highbridge Park. 

The High Bridge. Photo credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the High Bridge, which was rehabilitated and reopened to the public in 2015 after being closed for more than four decades,” said Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “An engineering marvel when it opened in 1848 as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the bridge now serves as an important pedestrian and bicycling connection between the Bronx and Manhattan—bringingcommunities together, providing easier access to Highbridge Park on both sides of the Harlem River, and creating an essential link to New York City’s expanding waterfront Greenway.”

High Bridge during construction. 1828-1890. Image credit, New York Public Library Digital Collection
The anniversary celebration featured processions of musicians, community members, and students originating from both the Bronx and Manhattan sides of the bridge. The contingents met in the middle for a ceremony that featured local youth performers and was capped off by an FDNY fireboat display in the Harlem River.

 

The High Bridge. Photo credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

Following the ceremony, the Urban Park Rangers provided tours of the historic Highbridge Water Tower, and NYC DEP opened the Manhattan Gatehouse, which pumped water for the Old Croton Aqueduct, to the public for the first time. 

The High Bridge. Photo credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

If entering from the Manhattan side, enter The High Bridge Park at West 172nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, and walk east to the High Bridge Water Tower Terrace staircase down to the bridge level. If entering from the Bronx side, enter at University Avenue and 170th Street in Highbridge, Bronx.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the High Bridge as a city landmark on November 15, 1970. The High Bridge Water Tower was designated a New York City landmark in 1967.