Category: Old Croton Aqueduct

An 1835 fire burns a quarter of New York City

This account of the devastating New York City fire of 1835 that led to the construction of the Croton Dam and Aqueduct is from a wonderful blog, Ephemeral New York, which chronicles “a constantly reinvented city through photos, newspaper archives, and other scraps and artifacts that have been edged into New York’s collective remainder bin” remembering the “forgotten people, places, and relics of the way New Yorkers used to live.”

ephemeralnewyork's avatarEphemeral New York

GreatfirebynicolinocalyoIt started on the frigid night of December 16. Flames broke out inside a warehouse on Pearl Street, the center of New York’s dry-goods district.

“The city’s undermanned volunteer fire brigades rushed to the scene, but what little water could be pumped from the nearby hydrants turned to ice in the frigid night air, and the crews—exhausted from fighting a blaze the night before—were soon completely overwhelmed,” wrote Ric Burns and James Sanders in New York: An Illustrated History.

[Above: the fire as seen from Williamsburg, by Nicolino Calyo]

With help from strong winds, flames leaped from shops to warehouses to the majestic Merchants Exchange (below, in a 1909 illustration).

Within hours, 20 blocks and 600 buildings bounded by South, Broad, and Wall Streets and Coenties Slip, were ablaze.

Greatfiremerchantsexchange

New York had experienced devastating fires before, particularly in 1776. This fire was something else though—so intense, it could reportedly…

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Croton Reservoir in Central Park, 1865

A detail from an exquisite map of Central Park, published in 1865. The map appeared in A picturesque Guide through the whole Park showing all the improvements up to June 1865, published by L. Prang, Boston. The reservoir was drained in 1931 and filled with excavation material from Rockefeller Center and the Eighth Avenue subway. Today it … Continue reading Croton Reservoir in Central Park, 1865 →

New Croton Aqueduct Map, 1884

This is a detail of the Croton area from the map The Route of the New Aqueduct from Central Park to Croton Dam . . . prepared by the Aqueduct Commission in 1884. The route of the new aqueduct tunnel is the dark straight line, running diagonally across the bottom from Croton Dam. One of … Continue reading New Croton Aqueduct Map, 1884 →

Croton Reservoir in Central Park, 1874

A detail from Watson's New Map of New-York and Adjacent Cities. Published by Gaylord Watson, 16 Beekman St., 1874. Another detail showing the distributing reservoir at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue (where the New York Public Library is today) is below. The entire map is available online at David Rumsey.

Teatown, 1868

Detail from the Town of Cortlandt map from Atlas of New York and vicinity ... by F.W. Beers, published by Beers, Ellis & Soule, New York, 1868. The entire atlas is available online at David Rumsey.

Croton Reservoir, 1879

The Croton Reservoir was opened in 1842 as the distribution reservoir for the Croton water system. The reservoir covered four acres and could hold 20,000,000 gallons of water. It was constructed in an Egyptian style which, in common with other civic buildings, made explicit reference to great civilizations of the past and suggested that New … Continue reading Croton Reservoir, 1879 →

Croton Reservoir, 1855

"New York from Latting Observatory" by William Wellstood, 1855. This spectacular view of lower Manhattan in 1855 shows the Croton Reservoir and Crystal Palace on what is now the site of the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. Across the street from the reservoir was Croton Cottage, a tavern that served ice cream and … Continue reading Croton Reservoir, 1855 →

Croton Water Celebration, 1842

Croton Water Celebration 1842. Lithograph, 9 3/4 x 13 inches. New York: J.F. Atwill, 1842 . This copy is being auctioned at Swann Auction Galleries.

Rare Color Image of the Old Croton Dam

There are many contemporary images of the old Croton Dam—engravings, lithographs and photographs—but this may be one of the few color depictions of the dam. This detail is taken from a chromolithograph advertising broadside (circa 1863-68) for the Croton Fire Insurance Co. in New York City. These rare images are courtesy of George Glazer Gallery, … Continue reading Rare Color Image of the Old Croton Dam →

Croton Water Manhole Cover

A relic from the old Croton aqueduct water system, found "underfoot on a sidewalk at Fifth Avenue and about 100th Street." The letters in the center are DPW (Department of Public Works). See the wonderful blog Ephemeral New York.