HIGH BRIDGE RESTORATION
BRONX, NY TO MANHATTAN, NY
Location
High Bridge, Bronx, NY to Manhattan, NYClient
Schiavone Construction Co. LLCDates
08/2014 - 11/2014Architect
Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc., Mary Jablonski (212-532-7775, mjablonski@jbconservation.com)Project Manager
Brian Diffley (201-341-6989, bdiffley@schiavone.net)Scope Of Work
Historic paver replacement for entire bridge; provide natural cement for project; provide consulting services for repointing
PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this project was to reopen High Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge is a New York City landmark; listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services completed all of the historic paver replacement across the entire bridge, as well as providing natural cement for the project and consulting services for the repointing. The project won the prestigious Lucy J. Moses preservation award in 2016.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Constructed in 1848, the High Bridge is the oldest bridge in New York City. The upper portion of the bridge conceals a large aqueduct which once brought water from Westchester County’s Croton Reservoir into New York City. A pedestrian walkway on top, opened in 1864, connects Washington Heights in Manhattan to the Highbridge neighborhood in the Bronx. The aqueduct stopped functioning in 1958, and although the walkway remained open through the 1970’s, the bridge was subsequently abandoned for almost 40 years.