Croton reservoir keys and newspaper clipping with image of gatekeeper
Before 1900
New York Public Library Archives
Croton reservoir keys and newspaper clipping with image of gatekeeper
The reservoir’s 50-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide granite walls doubled as a public promenade, offering views of the city, the harbor, the Hudson and East Rivers, and beyond. “When you visit Gotham,” Edgar Allan Poe wrote in 1844, “you should ride out the Fifth Avenue, as far as the distributing reservoir … The prospect from the walk around the reservoir is particularly beautiful.” The promenade also offered a vantage point from which to admire the homes of the city’s elite, built along Fifth Avenue as the city expanded north. One of the reservoir’s doors faced Fifth Avenue, in much the same location as the Library’s main entrance. These keys came into the possession of a member of the firm Carrère and Hastings, the building’s architects. Mr. Hastings later donated them to the Library.
: New York Public Library Archives, Manuscripts and Archives Division
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.
