2015-04-12 - Old Croton Aqueduct Walk I - Part I
On Sunday, I led the first out of three almost 20 mile walks in a series that would go north from Battery Park to New Croton Dam mostly following the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail and back down to the closest train station. This day we walked from Battery Park to Van Cortlandt Park and the weather was perfect. We started at the Castle Clinton National Monument around 9:00 AM.
Castle Clinton was initially constructed due to mounting tension between the US and Great Britain, leading to the War of 1812. Armed with 28 cannons that could each launch a 32-pound cannonball 1.5 miles, the fort was never used. In 1817, the fort was named Castle Clinton after Mayor and later Governor Dewitt Clinton, and later served as an entertainment center, restaurant, opera house, theater, and demonstration hall from 1823 to 1854.
It transformed into the nation's official immigrant processing center, and from 1855 to 1890 welcomed over 8 million people into our country. It reopened in 1896 as the New York City Aquarium until 1941 when that was relocated to Coney Island. The fort was saved from being demolished in 1946 and restored by the National Park Service. It reopened in 1975 as a National Monument and now receives more than 3 million visitors a year.
Castle Clinton was initially constructed due to mounting tension between the US and Great Britain, leading to the War of 1812. Armed with 28 cannons that could each launch a 32-pound cannonball 1.5 miles, the fort was never used. In 1817, the fort was named Castle Clinton after Mayor and later Governor Dewitt Clinton, and later served as an entertainment center, restaurant, opera house, theater, and demonstration hall from 1823 to 1854.
It transformed into the nation's official immigrant processing center, and from 1855 to 1890 welcomed over 8 million people into our country. It reopened in 1896 as the New York City Aquarium until 1941 when that was relocated to Coney Island. The fort was saved from being demolished in 1946 and restored by the National Park Service. It reopened in 1975 as a National Monument and now receives more than 3 million visitors a year.
After waiting awhile for people to show up, we walked up Broadway and passed the Federal Hall and Equitable Building.
The Federal Hall National Memorial is where George Washington took the oath of office as the president and where the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch made their offices. The current building is a Customs House that served later as part of the US Sub-Treasury and now welcomes visitors as a museum and memorial.
The Federal Hall National Memorial is where George Washington took the oath of office as the president and where the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch made their offices. The current building is a Customs House that served later as part of the US Sub-Treasury and now welcomes visitors as a museum and memorial.
The Equitable Building is a 40-story office building that was the largest office building in the world when it was completed in 1915 and displayed impressive engineering achievements as one of the first skyscapers in the city. It occupies the entire block, looks like an H from above, and contains 5000 windows.
Saint Paul’s Chapel, a parish since 1697, was where George Washington went to pray after his inauguration in 1789.
The Woolworth Building, designed by Cass Gilbert, was the tallest building in the world for 17 years after being finished in 1913 and dubbed “the Cathedral of Commerce”. It remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the country and one of the top 20 in the city. Paid tours are available of the magnificent building.
The Woolworth Building, designed by Cass Gilbert, was the tallest building in the world for 17 years after being finished in 1913 and dubbed “the Cathedral of Commerce”. It remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the country and one of the top 20 in the city. Paid tours are available of the magnificent building.
New York City Hall is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses the original offices. The designers were Joseph Francois Mangin, a NYC surveyor from France, and John McComb Jr. whose father designed Castle Clinton. It opened in 1812.
We stopped at the African Burial Ground National Monument for a moment to reflect and sign the latecomers in. This is where thousands of enslaved and free people of African descent were buried in the late 17th and 18th centuries. They were instrumental to creating New York City, and African slaves once constituted nearly a quarter of the New York City population, with New York City being the US city with the second largest number of slaves.
We went past some of the New York court buildings without stopping.
But paused to admire the only Louis Sullivan building in New York City at 65 Bleecker Street. Known as the Bayard-Condict Building, it was built in 1897-1899 in the Chicago School style.
We took our first real break at Union Square. There are wonderful Ganghi, Washington, and Lincoln sculptures here as well as quite a few other interesting tidbits from history. Did you know that people used to sit in cafes across the street and bet on how long it would be until someone was trampled to death by a horse carriage turning the dangerous bend?
We still had quite a long way to go, and a few people were waiting for us at Bryant Park.
