The High Bridge, completed in 1848 and now New York City’s oldest standing bridge, spans the Harlem River at 173rd Street in Manhattan. It officially closed sometime during the early 1970s — the Parks Department, mysteriously, isn’t certain of the exact date — but remained open for ranger tours until the late 1990s, when the gates were shut to all but Parks employees after engineers discovered structural flaws.
Today the bridge lies unused but not ignored. PLANYC, the Department of Parks & Recreation’s initiative to find new and creative uses for open or unused space, is in the process of restoring the bridge. They plan to re-open it to the public as part of Highbridge Park by 2013.
We were excited to walk the bridge before the restoration, not only to capture its features before they’re refurbished, but also because the City’s plan understandably calls for safety fences to be installed along the bridge in addition to the waist-high, 19th Century railing in place today. While the new, taller fences won’t altogether mar the panoramic views from the bridge, they will certainly diminish the open, birds-eye feeling one gets standing on its deck.
—Daniel Ross, producer
You’ve done it again. Kudos……
Thanks for the terrific show. Very informative and interesting. I have often gone underneth the High Bridge in boat and wondered. Now I know a lot more.
they should build the safety gate out of glass. that would seriously make this one of the most popular parks in the entire city.
Yes, send me THIRTEEN highlights by e-mail. Our adult children just moved to Brooklyn and I can forward the info to them. In addition to that, I find it very interesting and we plan to visit them often and and it will give us something interesting to do while in NYC!! Thank you
I grew up in the High Bridge area of The Bronx,, My Mom and I used to walk across it to get to stores and movie theater there — Greek Grocery stores; Wertheimer’s little Department Store; Citarella’s first fish store; The Colosseum Movie Theater. My sister and I loved to take a picnic lunch to a spot beneath the bridge to make believe we lived in the country,. Once there I lost a favorite green marbleized fountain pen I carried with me, and never forgot about.
So glad this is being done; and the glass-guard would be a boon!
I loved this short blurb about my favorite city. I hope you keep these videos available. They are a treat. Your subjects are about places that I don’t know about, so please keep them coming.
Thanks from an upstate fan (Syracsue).
Thanks so much I love Highbridge news. I did love growing up there. I have the greatest memories – putting up a glass fence is a super idea and although I hate to say it maybe the city can charge 25cents to regain the expense. Glass is very popular now – perhaps you can suggest it, Kevin.
Great piece on the bridge. Thanks! Can’t wait until it reopens to the public.
Thank you, thank you for bringing life to this historical bridge. I lived in Highbridge in the 70’s and it was too dangerous then to cross the bridge, but I always wanted to. I would be happy to volunteer.
I used to climb the fence to cross that bridge throughout the summers back in the 90’s. It saved us alot of time when we would go to the Highbridge pool across that bridge coming from the bronx, Whats great about this is, last week, I drove by there and was explaining to my son how it is currently abandoned and how it connected the bronx to Manhattan once upon a time. I heard many stories from older highbridgians of how dangerous it was back in the 70’s, with the different gangs that controlled each side. Rhanks again, will keep a look out on that bridge
Barbara wrote on Jan 17, 2011 that she used to walk across the High Bridge to shop in Manhattan’s Washington Heights, but I think she must mean the 181st Street Bridge (can’t recall the true name of it), also a walking bridge, a bit north of the High Bridge which connects Manhattan and the Bronx at 173rd St. I used to do the same and share the same experiences. Thanks Barbara.
Hi: Brings back fond memories. I grew up in Washington Heights on 174 Street. I’m now 80 years old.
Hope to hear from someone from the Heights & High Bridge.
Isn’t this the bridge that used to an aquaduct? I see the water tower on the left side of the picture.
Thanks for this great feature!
To Barbara and Mona,
I grew up in Highbridge (Bronx) Two blocks from both bridges. The bridge to the North was both a vehicle and a walking bridge. This was the Washington Bridge, dubbed the little Washington Bridge to distinguish it from the George Washington Bridge. Highbridge was strictly a walking bridge and used to walk to The large park on the Manhattan side primarily to go to the Highbridge Pool. Great memories.
Wow. I knew was a senior(79) but I didn’t know I was ancient history, I grew up in Highbrige -family lived on Undercliff Ave when I was born and then on Woodycrest Ave. We mainly used the 181st (Washington ) bridge to go to Washington Heights- either walking or using the trolly. (Remember those?) 181st was a thriving commercial center and had in additon to the Colosseum, an Automat and a subway station for the “A” line. I often walked Highbridge with a friend and his dog and the only danger was avoiding dog poop.The water tower was a landmark for the neighborhood and I hope it, also, will be preserved. If you want to do another segment on the City’s water system, I would suggest the Kensico dam which I remember as being particularly beautiful
Yes, with this wonderful site, YOU CAN go home again! It’s great for current New Yorkers and for those who have HAD to move elsewhere! Thank you.
I am ready to be charmed by yet another gem in the history of this great city! It seems that many areas were accesible to people who WALKED, rather than drove, to fascinating destinations. Bring it on, ASAP! Bravo!
I grew up in Wahington Heights in the ’30s and 40s and every day in the summers, my brother and I would go swimming in Highbridge pool. It opened at 10:oo am and for ten cents we could stay at the pool all day and have lots of fun. My mother would bring us lunch, we would eat and go right back in the pool, great days Thank you
Such a beautiful structure. Ashame it connects two parts of the city I wouldn’t normally visit.
I have4 fond memories of High Bridge and the pool associated with it. Thank you for bringing back “the good old days.”
Super, keep up the good work.
So that’s what that structure is. I had called several dept. & never got an answer as to what it was. A water tower !