Designated November 10, 1970
The High Bridge was built to funnel water from the Croton Aqueduct down to New York City. The Croton Water Commission hired John B. Jervis as Chief Engineer in 1836. The bridge spans the Harlem River connecting Manhattan and the Bronx.
*The High Bridge is a triumph of 19th century engineering skill, that it assured an ample supply of pure Croton water to the City and that, although subsequently modified by a
wide central span, still retains much of its original character of a Roman aqueduct and is an exceptionally handsome feature of the Harlem River opposite High Bridge Park.
*excerpt from the Landmarks Preservation Commission High Bridge designation report
STATUS Designated Individual Landmarks
The Neighborhood
Washington Heights
The neighborhood is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on the island of Manhattan by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the British forces.
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