The High Bridge and the Park

High Bridge, New York c. 1880
Tinted Stereoview by the New York Stereoscopic Co.

Welcome to The High Bridge -- Its Past, Present & Future website.  This site connects all interested parties on exciting developments associated with The High Bridge, Highbridge Park, and the immediately surrounding area.

We are in the process of sprucing up our site and making it more presentable.  As most of you already know, the High Bridge was reopened on June 9, 2015 after about 45 years of having been closed and years of planning and reconstruction.  The adjacent Highbridge Park is also undergoing extensive refurbishment as part of the NYCPlan 2030, and the immediate neighborhood near the Park, particularly along Amsterdam and Edgecombe avenues is starting to experience a renaissance with building renovations and new commercial ventures.
With this in mind, we are now shifting gears away from the reconstruction of The High Bridge to the other improvements that will be forthcoming.  We also recognize that there will be more visitors to the bridge, the Highbridge Park, and the surrounding areas, so we will be providing more information for those who do not have familiarity with the area and its attractions. 

At present the public funding for the improvements and redevelopment effort for the Bridge and the Park have exceeded $130 Million. On Jan. 11, 2013 Mayor Michael Bloomberg broke ground on the construction phase of the plan for the redevelopment of the High Bridge and the cost of reopening the bridge has been publicized at $61.8 Million. Just in 2016, $30 Million of additional funds have been allocated to Highbridge Park by Mayor De Blasio as part of the Anchor Park initiative.

On June 9, 2015, the official reopening ceremony of the High Bridge occurred. (Please see the specific posts for this event).  On July 25, 2015 the High Bridge Festival celebrating the reopening of the High Bridge occurred.

There are many other activities progressing simultaneously with the redevelopment of the High Bridge. This web site focuses on the developments in and immediately adjacent to The High Bridge and Highbridge Park.  Please make sure to scroll down to see previous posts on new and exciting developments.

It is our belief that with this site we can foster an appreciation of the past, an understanding of the present and a catalyst for the development of the future needs of this immediate area.

Hopefully, we will find common ground to dramatically improve the buildings, the retail establishments and the quality of life in such a way as to compliment the redevelopment effort associated with the High Bridge and High Bridge Park and make this area a destination for more of the millions of residents of New York City and some of the more than tens of millions of visitors who come to New York City each year.

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, Sept 6, 1879

Please contact us and let us know if you have any interests in participating as a contributor, volunteer, or merely to coordinate with your community organization, or even if you are just an interested neighborhood resident. If you want to contribute to the site with any comments please feel free to do so.

Organizationally, we have been adding information to each page as it is appropriate.  You should return to pages on a regular and frequent basis to catch up on latest developments on each topic.  We have also provided for reader feedback at the bottom of each topic.

There are almost 200 posts with information and pictures on all sorts of topics. Information about the history of the High Bridge and the building of the aqueduct, articles about what is going on right now, and articles about the future changes that we all hope will come to the High Bridge, the park, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Please click on the Area of Interest on the right and a whole host of topics will present themselves. Or, you may scroll through the archive of articles on the right to find and article of interest to you. Or, you may also search by keyword in the box provided at the right above the archive listings. Or, you may just scroll down and look at the articles in chronological order going backward in time.

 If you are experiencing any difficulty using our site please let us know.

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last modified 7/28/2015

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An Homage to the High Bridge at 175 years by Duane Bailey-Castro for Untapped New York

If you press the start button for the above Vimeo video you will see Duane Baily-Castro's short time lapse celebration video to the 175th Anniversary of the Aqueduct High Bridge here in New York City which will be going on this month. This video is part of a very good article in Untapped New York: HOW TO CELEBRATE THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HIGH BRIDGE, NYC’S OLDEST SPAN. Just click on the link here and you will find it.

HAPPY 175 !!!!!

The number 175 seems to be a very important number up in Washington Heights this week.

First of all, today is the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the High Bridge.  It was on July 4, 1848, that the opening of the High Bridge was celebrated. That was a very different time and the High Bridge looked very different at that time.  

There was no steel span over the Harlem River as you see the bridge today. Rather, it was the stone arches that continued across the river. It wasn't until the 1920s that a number of the stone arches were removed in order to allow for improved navigation on the Harlem River for maritime traffic.

Also, there were only two tubes for water to cross the river on the bridge.  The third tube which sits on top of and between the first two tubes wasn't added until the 1860s.  It was at that time that the stone walls on the edge of the bridge were incorporated into the bed to carry the new water line.  Upon completion of the third line, the brick herringbone pattern on the deck and the railings were installed.

In addition to the High Bridge celebration this week, we are also honored to host the Tony Awards at the Palace Theater at the corner of Broadway and 175th Street on Sunday, June 11.  There is excitement in the air.  Workers are sprucing up Broadway in the area and there are hopes that this will lead to a revival of the area as a destination for both New Yorkers and the millions of visitors that come to New York each year.

We, of course, are hoping that the visitors will stroll along Broadway and down 175th Street to Highbridge Park and continue their stroll across the Highbridge and take in the magnificent views.