Park & Rec Drops Plans for Ice Skating Rink at Highbridge Park

Both DNA INFO and New York News Grio have reported that plans for an uptown skating rink in Highbridge Park at the swimming pool during the winter season have been dropped after a failure to get interest from businesses to develop, operate and manage it with financial support from the Parks & Rec Department.  The project would have put the skating rink above the wading pool on Amsterdam Ave. at 173rd St. and would have included three mobile food outlets, a warming tent and a shop.

At the Community Board 12 meeting on Tuesday it was revealed that there were no bids on the second request for proposals put out by the Parks & Rec Department.  Parks & Rec had allocated $1.3 million for the project.

This was the second request for proposals and they made extensive outreach to potential ice skating concessionaires and adjusted the language of the first request for proposals to make it more appealing, allowing for more flexibility and creativity with regards to the layout of the ice rink, including allowing the rink operator to use more of the locker rooms, run a holiday market and sell alcoholic beverages for special events provided they obtain a license for it.

Now that the ice rink idea has been dropped, they are requesting that the community send thoughts about what to do with the funds that had been allocated for the project.

David Comora Went on that Photo Shoot with Ron Levit

c 2015 David Comora
Photo above: The iconic Circle Line approaching the High Bridge.
No reports of objects being thrown over the fence since the bridge reopened. 

David Comora, Photographer
copyright Roy Levit 2015

David Comora is a New Yorker and a photo enthusiast who "caught the bug" in a 6th grade (too many years ago) photography class when he saw his first print become visible in a tray of developer. He is now a technologist working for an energy company, running a technology company, and making images whenever he can. His passion is black and white, but he does have to shoot color from time to time to appease his wife. When not taking family snaps of his beautiful almost 2-year old daughter, he is now focusing more on project photography - trying to find exactly what it is he'd like to say.  To see more of David's, please click here. 
David believes that just about any camera these days can take amazing images and as Ansel Adams once said, "the most important part of any camera is the 12 inches behind the viewfinder."  That being said, David uses a Leica Monochrom using a Voightlander 15mm lens.  Other lenses used for these images include a 135mm and a 35mm lens.

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

c 2015 David Comora

This last photo looks like kids from the Bronx scrambling that last leg up the steep stairs so that they can get to the swimming pool quicker.

last modified 8/5/15 @ 11:00am

Parks & Rec Opens Bidding on Ice Rink and Concession at Highbridge Park Again

As we understand the current situation, Parks & Rec attempted to get bids in March of 2014 (see our post on that attempt) for an ice skating rink, but no one responded to the bid proposal by bidding on the project.  Now that the High Bridge is open, there is another effort to find an organization to develop and operate an ice rink and various concessions in Highbridge Park during the winter months.

Development, Operation and Management of a Seasonal Ice Rink At Highbridge Park Pool, Manhattan

Bid Date & Time: 09/14/15 3:00 PM

Prebid: 08/14/15 10:30 AM

Solicitation Title: Development, Operation and Management of a Seasonal Ice Rink At Highbridge Park Pool, Manhattan

Owner Solic Number: M37-5-IS-2015    Status: bidding    Report: 6482535

Country :United States     State: NY    County: New York

Location: Highbridge Park Pool, Manhattan

Scope: Development, operation and management of a seasonal ice rink.

Notes: There will be a recommended site visit on Friday, August 14th, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. We will be meeting at the proposed concession site (Block # 2106 and Lot # 1), which is located at Amsterdam Avenue and West 173rd Street. We will be meeting in front of the entrance to the pool at the southern gate. If you are considering responding to this RFP, please make every effort to attend this recommended site visit.

Plans: From Owner.

Owner Type: Public

Buyer: Department of Parks and Recreation(DPR), Arsenal Central
Address: 830 Fifth Avenue Room 407
City: New York	State: NY	Zip/Postal Code: 10065
Contact: Santiago Zindel
TEL: 212-360-3407	FAX: 212-360-3434
Bid Pkg Source: Department of Parks and Recreation(DPR), Arsenal Central
Address: 830 Fifth Avenue Room 407
City: New York	State: NY	Zip/Postal Code: 10065
Contact: Santiago Zindel
TEL: 212-360-3407	FAX: 212-360-3434

Highbridge Park Set to get a $1 Million Ice Rink

The High Bridge Swimming Pool during the Summer

According to reports from a variety of sources the City is set to spend  $1.1 Million to have a skating rink in Highbridge Park so that it can be used more for wintertime activities.  Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez reportedly said that the park will become a true upper Manhattan destination.

"The skating area will be built on the kiddie pool in Highbridge Park, much as Lasker Rink near E. 106th St. takes the place of Lasker Pool during the winter months." according to the New York Daily News.  They also report that Councilman Rodriguez said, "It will attract businesses, tourists and educational programming to Highbridge Park, a beautiful place soon to become a destination in Northern Manhattan."

NYC Parks is currently drafting a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Development, Operation and Management of a Seasonal (Winter) Ice Rink at Highbridge Park Pool. The pools will remain available to the public during the summer months. The concession will include, at minimum, a seasonal ice rink, skate rental and skate sharpening, and food service. 

Prior to issuing the RFP, Parks invites residents of the Northern Manhattan communities to share their input. Please direct any questions or comments you may have regarding the development of the scope of this RFP to info@northernmanhattanparks.org.  

 These comments must be made by December 13, 2013 to ensure consideration.

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last revised 12/4/13

The High Bridge Water Tower

The Tower in High Bridge Park

Quite literally the high point in High Bridge Park is the High Bridge Water Tower. At nearly 200 feet above the ground, the top of the tower "towers" over the rest of the park, and allows an unobstructed and  commanding panorama of the surrounding area and a very sweeping view of Harlem River below the cliff and its Valley running from the north to the south.

From the water level of the Harlem River, the pedestrian walkway atop the High Bridge is nearly 140 feet above.  From there,the base of the Water Tower is a full 100 feet above the pedestrian walkway and rises from there nearly another 200 feet to the top of the tower, bringing the top of the weather vane of the tower about 440 feet above the river.  To put this in perspective, the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet above the ground level (the statue itself is 151 feet tall).  When the Statue of Liberty was completely installed in 1886 it was the "tallest" structure in New York at the time.

The High Bridge Water Tower was designed by John B Jervis and completed in 1872, about 14 years before the Statue of Liberty was completed.  It was built in order to increase the water pressure for the water delivered to the residents of the city. Jervis had completed construction of the High Bridge and the Old Croton Aqueduct itself some 40 years earlier (the Old Aqueduct had opened in 1842).
According to a New York Times article, "increasing water demands - particularly for the newly developed flush toilet ... strained a system that had not been designed to serve Manhattan's higher ground."

To meet the increased water demands of the city the New York the State Legislature authorized improvements to the Old Croton Aqueduct in 1863, but the new reservoir and water tower developed to meet those needs would not be completed until almost ten years later in 1872.  The octogonal tower is constructed of load bearing walls made of rough cut granite in a Romanesque Greek Revival style with a peaked copper roof.  We have been told that the interior of the tower has an impressive spiral  iron staircase rising to the top with occasional windows allowing breathtaking vistas of the Harlem River Valley below.


As far as anyone can tell there never has been public access to the tower. Perhaps with all the attention being given to the recent redevelopment of the bridge and the park there will be some consideration given to opening the tower to the public some time after the bridge is completed.  We have been told that the ascent on the spiral staircase and the views are well worth the effort of walking up to the top.

The High Bridge, the reservoir and the tower ceased to be used during World War I.  Only the water tower was in use after the war and even it ceased to be used for any purpose after 1949.  None of the major elements mentioned have ever been used in any capacity for New York's water system since that time.  In 1934 the reservoir was converted for use as the swimming pool and in 1959 a carillon was installed in the tower.

In 1984 a fire in the tower caused the roof to cave in.  In 1988 the roof and carillon reconstruction was initiated, however of  the anticipated $900,000 in funds needed to complete the work  there were only sufficient to complete the copper roof section by 1990.  In 2011 it was estimated that he cost of restoring the tower to its full glory would be in excess of $2 million, including the cost of replacing the carillon and the source for those funds was nowhere in sight. The Department of Parks when last asked did not believe that the restoration of the tower would be completed any time around the time that the High Bridge was anticipated to be restored in 2014.

For some early photos of the Water Tower see our other post.




last modified 9/13/15