Croton Reservoir, Fifth Avenue, 42nd Street

The old Croton Water Reservoir on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, City of New York. Illustration drawn by Augustus Fay, dated 1850. Source: I. N. Phelps Stokes Collection of American Historical Prints, New York Public Library.

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The Croton Distributing Reservoir supplied the city with drinking water during the 19th century, from 1842 to the 1890s. It was named after the water's source from the Croton River in northern Westchester County. The granite walls of the reservoir were 50 feet high. Along the tops of the walls were public promenades, with views of the city. The aqueduct system officially opened on July 4, 1842. In 1846, the New York City Common Council ordered construction of a public park on the land next to the Reservoir. Reservoir Park was formed in 1870. The Main Branch of the New York Public Library, located in the eastern portion of Bryant Park, stands on the site.

Lower Manhattan, looking south from 42nd Street, showing the Croton Reservoir and the Crystal Palace, built for the Exhibition of the Industries of All Nations, 1853/1854.