History Highbridge Park

1 history

1.1 history
1.2 20th century
1.3 21st century

history
early history

photo-mechanical print of harlem river speedway in 20th century showing river access highbridge park



grand staircase, later cut vehicular ramp trans-manhattan expressway

highbridge park derives name new york city’s oldest standing bridge, high bridge (1848), built carry old croton aqueduct on harlem river. 17th 19th centuries, area sparsely populated scattered farms , private estates. during american revolution, general george washington used morris-jumel mansion, adjacent southern end of park near edgecombe avenue , west 160th street, headquarters in september , october 1776.

the land highbridge park assembled piecemeal between 1867 , 1960s. designed in 1888 samuel parsons jr. , calvert vaux.

in 1890s, city of new york built racetrack horses, harlem river speedway, along riverbank of park.

20th century

the cliffside area west 181st street dyckman street acquired in 1902, , parcel including fort george hill acquired in 1928. in 1934 department of parks obtained majestic highbridge tower , site of old high bridge reservoir.

by years of 20th century, upper-middle class new yorkers promenade along wide boardwalks in top hats , bustles. park provided access harlem river , places horseback riding , other outdoor sports. 1920s dirt , other materials build-up of new washington heights neighborhood threatened ruin nascent park; harbinger of bad times befall park.

in 1940, robert moses turned portions of speedway harlem river drive, 6-lane highway manhattan end of triborough bridge @ 125th street, tunnels under manhattan george washington bridge. new fences blocked public recreational access riverfront. series of actions, according parks & recreation commissioner adrian benepe, ruined park. 1200–foot–long, 116-foot-tall high bridge walkway closed regular public use around 1970.

as new york city beset serious financial problems in 1970s, park s neglect accelerated. huge sections of park, set aside natural areas, had been taken on homeless people built permanent shacks made of sheet metal , steel pipes driven earth. prostitutes, drug dealers , drug users frequented park. mid-1980s, highbridge had become degraded during manual cleanup in 1986, 250 tons of garbage , 25 auto wrecks removed, garbage again began fill park within matter of days. in recent years, economy of northern manhattan has improved, condition of park has gotten better, , no longer haven petty crime , other illegal activities. new york restoration project, chaired bette midler, has been working since 1999 restore park.

21st century

on may 19, 2007, first legal mountain bike trails , dirt jumps in new york city opened in highbridge park. new york city mountain bike association, working nyc parks & recreation, , international mountain bicycling association (imba), worked design , install trails; opening weekend featured festival , cross-country mountain bike race.

around 2010, waterfront speedway rehabilitated , reopened harlem river portion of manhattan waterfront greenway.

as of late 2011, despite efforts of both new york restoration project , city parks department, infrastructure of park had decayed significantly. citizen-driven restoration movement culminated in grant bloomberg administration repair bridge , make other improvements. restored bridge reopened on june 9, 2015.

highbridge park awarded major grant of $30 million city of new york in august 2016, used further improvements , restoration work.<city invest in highbridge park>