Completed in 1843 and inspired by the ancient Roman aqueducts, the High Bridge is the oldest bridge in Manhattan. Some have even dubbed it “The Original High Line” in recent years, although it is much shorter, measuring around 2000 feet.
The bridge spans the Harlem River around West 173rd Street, connecting Washington Heights with the Bronx. Originally designed by John B. Jervis to transport water from the Croton River to the city, the bridge walkway, which was completed in 1864, soon became a popular tourist destination.
The view in William J. Bennett’s delightfully bucolic design shows the bridge at the time of its completion, before the replacement, in 1927-28, of several stone arches of the bridge by a single metal arch to improve the navigation of the river.
After a six-year renovation and $ 61 million, the bridge was reopened to the public – for much celebration – in 2015 as a pedestrian walkway. Read more about his story here.
As part of our month-long Dear NYC series, we’re looking for New York jewelry hidden in the New York Public Library. The NYPL’s four research centers offer the public access to more than 55 million items, including rare books, manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, prints, maps, ephemera and more. An integral part of these robust collections is the extensive library material related to New York City, and as NY works to unite, deal with, heal and recover from the 2020 pandemic, economic uncertainty and the many issues that divide us, it is important to look with that story and remember: New York is resilient. New York is strong. New York has gone through many difficult times. And, as always, with Patience and Fortitude (the names given to beloved Library lions in 1933 by Mayor LaGuardia for the virtues New Yorkers needed to overcome the Great Depression), we will go through this together.