PRESENTATION
Kate Lemos McHale, Director of Research at the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Presents Old Croton Aqueduct Walk Designation
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8 min
Kate Lemos McHale presents on the recent designation of the Old Croton Aqueduct Walk as a scenic landmark in the Bronx.
- The Croton Aqueduct, completed in 1842, was New York City's first direct water source
- The portion designated as a scenic landmark is a 1.5-mile section atop the aqueduct embankment
- The aqueduct and its walkway were beloved public spaces from their opening
- Community groups fought to preserve the walkway, which was made a city park in 1930
- The designation recognizes the aqueduct's engineering, historical, and cultural significance
Kate Lemos McHale
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Thank you, Chair Hanks.
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Good morning, sub committee members.
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My name is Kate Lemus McHale, the Director of Research at the Landmark's Preservation Commission.
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Joined by Stephen Thompson, our Director of Community And Intergovernmental Affairs.
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Thank you for the opportunity to present our recent designation of the Old Croton Aquadox walk.
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This designation was identified and prioritized on our recent comprehensive survey of the Bronx, an area where we have been working to increase landmark designation that reflect the diversity and rich heritage of our city.
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Next, please.
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Thanks.
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The old Croton Aqueduct Walk is New York City's 12th and the Bronx' first scenic landmark.
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The Croton AquaDuct completed in 1842 was the 1st direct water source to New York City, providing life sustaining clean water.
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This engineering marvel allowed New York City's development to accelerate rapidly through the 19th century during which the embankment atop the aqueduct became a favored public walkway.
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The section known as Aquaduct Walk was especially cared for by the communities of Fortum And University Heights.
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Who fought for its preservation, eventually securing it as a permanent public park in 1930.
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The commission receives support for the designation from council member, Pierina Sanchez, representatives of the owner.
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It's owned by the Department of Park and recreation with 2 very small lots, which I'll point out that are owned by DEP.
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We also had support from the Bronxboro president's office.
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Bronx Community Boards 5 and 7.
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The New York landmark conservancy, historic districts council, and friends of the aqueduct walk.
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And there was no opposition to the designation.
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Next, please.
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The aqueduct walk scenic landmark is located between West Kingsbridge Road And West Burnside Avenue in the Bronx.
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The landmark site is situated within a New York City Park that comprises a small section of the entire length of the old Croton aqueduct.
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And it's 4.9 acres and approximately 1 and a half miles long.
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Next, please.
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New York City desperately needed water by the early 1800.
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Natural resources had been depleted.
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The water sources from wells was dirty.
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Disease was rampant.
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Fires burned without the ability to distinguished them, and the surrounding rivers offered no solution.
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The city began looking to construct an aqueduct north of the city in the early 19th century and ground was broken on the Croton AquaDuct in 18 37.
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Next, please.
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When the aqueduct was finally completed on July 4th 1842, the water took 22 hours to reach Manhattan from Croton.
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Water became available for use on October 14 1942 and changed the lives of New Yorkers forever.
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The aqueduct meant fresh drinking water clean streets the ability to extinguish fires, plumbing for creature comforts and allowed New York City to develop an an accelerated rate.
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Next, please.
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The aqueduct was named after the river, which was damned for the water.
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Croton's name comes from the name of chief Komooten, which means wind.
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The Croton aqueduct is forty five miles of continuous, horseshoe shaped tunnel from Croton to Manhattan.
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This is an 1843 map showing that aqueduct and its grading within the city of New York.
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The entire length of the aqueduct is a national historic landmark, and the red star on this map indicates the location of aqueduct walk in the Bronx.
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Next, please.
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The aqueduct is powered by gravity, and so it has a continuous depth nation for its entire length.
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And that creates an interesting situation where the street level dips below the actual aqueduct itself.
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And so this stretch of it in the Bronx is really the largest part of it where it's actually above grade.
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And so you see, as a result, these stone embankments that date from the construction of the aqueduct in the 18 thirties and 1840.
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And so this is an image of that at West at 188 Street.
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Next, please.
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And then there's a very interesting layering of history and significance here.
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So we have the engineering marvel, but then the embankment on top of the aqueduct became a public walkway, and it was instantly really beloved.
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One notable frequenter of the walk was the poet Edgar Allan Poe, He enjoyed walks across the hybrid once it was completed, and this is a painting of him doing that walk.
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And in 1910, the Bronx Society of Arts And Sciences wrote of Poe's beloved walk, quote, no more delightful path can be imagined than the grassy turf above the aqueduct spring.
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Next, please.
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The city also in this area developed around the aqueduct.
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And the communities of Fordham And University Heights cared for the walk and fought for its preservation.
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They first opposed a trolley line along the aqueduct in 19 o 3, and then in 1929 opposed the sale of the land for development.
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So the community was instrumental in the official takeover of the land by the city, and it became owned by the Parks Department in 1930.
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Next, please.
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In 1938, noted landscape architect Gilmore De Clark, who had also designed the 1939 World fair and the Central Park conservancy garden designed the new park.
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It included trees, lawns, plantings, horseshoe pitches, shuffleboard, sand pits, and playhouses.
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And parks officially opened the AquaDuct walk on April 27 1940.
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And it's continued to be an integral part of the community.
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Next, please.
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The designated aqueduct walk is the oldest landmark in New York City associated with the Croton aqueduct system.
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It would also be the only one in New York, Solia dated with the old Croton aqueduct system as basically, as soon as the old Croton aqueduct was built, it it needed it was so popular, it needed to be expanded, and so then the new Croton aqueduct was built.
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Next, please.
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Aquoduct Walk Park allows visitors to experience the aqueduct both on top of the old aqueduct conduit and alongside the stone embankment wall in the western side of the aqueduct between West Fordham Road And West 188 Street.
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And these are just views along the length of the park as a scenic landmark LPC is advisory to the public design commission.
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And aspects like this, the continuous presence of a walkway, the visibility and and condition and care of the historic embankments are things we would be looking at.
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Next, please.
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And the park has many entrances, including recently updated excess able ramps where the walk is at grade level ramps to higher elevations and updated stairs at historic locations and historic stairs.
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So part of the significance here also is the accessibility of the walk to the public.
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So I think future changes that increase accessibility would be in keeping with with that history that's important here.
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Next, please.
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And then reflecting the parks long history of community use the Parks department has added various amenities and wreaths and ears, such as additional play spaces, seating areas, and accessible entrances.
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And these later improvements do not detract from the historically significant elements of the 1842 acoduct or the pocket itself.
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Next, please.
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And so to conclude, the Croton AquaDuct was the 1st direct water source to New York city.
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It was long sought after in hard one.
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It was a life sustaining engineering marvel constructed by immigrants that allowed the city to continue to develop up at an explosive rate through the 19th century.
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After its construction, the walkway became a beloved path and open space.
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Which just continues to this day.
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So due to these the engineering, the historical, the cultural significance, The commission voted to designate Old Croton aqueduct as the Bronx' first scenic landmark, and we urge the council to uphold this designation.
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Thank you.