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LandmarkWashington HeightsHighbridge Park & Coogan's Bluff

Highbridge Water Tower

A distinctive hilltop landmark to see from the park or the bridge; do not count on going inside until NYC Parks confirms access.

Highbridge Park, near W 172nd St & Amsterdam AveAmsterdam Ave & W 172nd St (park entrance)

The Highbridge Water Tower, a tall stone tower, rising above bare trees and a grassy slope in Highbridge Park.
Jsobel123 (opens in a new tab)CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
The granite Highbridge Water Tower rising above the trees of Highbridge Park
Jsobel123 (opens in a new tab)CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Pipes and stairs inside the Highbridge Water Tower
RoySmith (opens in a new tab)CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
The iron spiral staircase inside the Highbridge Water Tower
Equipe C'est N'est Pas Une Pipe (Wikis Take Manhattan) (opens in a new tab)CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)
The High Bridge and Harlem River seen from the top of the Highbridge Water Tower
Jim.henderson (opens in a new tab)CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

What it is

The Highbridge Water Tower stands at the foot of the High Bridge on the Manhattan side. NYC Parks describes it as 200 feet tall and in place since 1872, built to work with the Old Croton Aqueduct and the Highbridge reservoir, which is now the site of Highbridge Pool, to help supply water to northern Manhattan. The tower is no longer in use and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1967.

Who it’s for

Anyone walking the High Bridge or Highbridge Park, and people interested in the city’s water system and its 19th-century infrastructure. NYC Parks says today the tower serves as a marker for reaching the High Bridge.

Standout details

In 1958 the tower was rehabilitated and fitted with a five-octave carillon financed by department store magnate B. Altman, which operated until the early 1980s, according to NYC Parks. Construction began in 2019 to stabilize the structure, repair the cast-iron interior staircase, and install new windows and lighting.

Honest verdict

Worth seeing as part of a High Bridge walk; it is a sight, not a destination with posted visiting hours. NYC Parks’ pages describe the 2019 stabilization work but do not give current interior access, so treat it as an exterior landmark unless the Parks site says otherwise.