When I first came across
Highbridge Park (shortly after moving to
Washington Heights,
Manhattan) all I could think was: "how did this happen?" Here was an
urban oasis on the order of
Central Park in
ruins. I started to do some research.
Basically, Highbridge Park has fallen off of the radar of
New York City for nearly 30 years. This is strange considering it is:
1. Huge
2. A park
3. In Manhattan
Walking through the park fills me with a sense of
despair—It’s like we’ve forgotten what a
metropolis is supposed to be. It’s evident that the city of New York simply gave up on this part of the city for many years. The park is a classic example of
planned shrinkage, the idea that reducing
social services in poverty stricken areas will eventually cause the population of that area to dwindle: making it easier for new construction. (
Planned shrinkage is one of the many causes of
urban decay)
What is the history of the park? The land for Highbridge Park was acquired beginning in
1865 from the city
Water Commission. The park grew over the next 50 years.
Upper-middle class New Yorkers would
promenade along the wide
boardwalks in
top hats and
bustles. The park provided access to the
Harlem River and places for
horseback riding and other outdoor sports. In the
1890s the City of New York built a racetrack along the river (for horses) known as the Harlem River
Speedway. In 1940
Robert Moses turned it into a 6-lane
highway from the Manhattan end of the
Triborough Bridge to the tunnels under Manhattan connected to
George Washington Bridge. This highway blocked access to the riverfront. Robert Moses also built a huge swimming pool and several
playgrounds in the park. By this time, Higbridge was a park for
working class emigrant families. Many people have fond memories of the pool and the
carnivals held in the park. When
African American and
Latin American families began moving in to the surrounding neighborhoods the
white residents fled for the
suburbs and the city stopped taking care of the park.
Why is it called Highbridge Park? There is a
foot bridge (pedestrians only) in the park that connects the Bronx to Manhattan. It’s called
The Highbridge and is the namesake of the park. It’s the
oldest bridge in New York city, built in 1848. It was closed in the
70s because a boy threw a rock off of it and hit a tourist in a boat. There is nothing wrong with it structurally—the city was just unwilling to deal with the
crime problems in the park so they basically fenced it off —much of the park remains fenced off even today.
The rock throwing incident was one of many widely reported crimes that heightened
racial and class tensions in the city during the 70s-- Many people felt cheated when the bridge was closed. If wealthy citizens had lived in the area many people reasoned-- the city would have kept the bridge open and the park in good repair. The bridges for cars were expanded during this time, but they city could not find the funds to add safety rails to the bride so that it could be "safely" used again.
A search of google for Highbridge Park returns the
New York Restoration Project who has been working over the past few years (since 2000 or so) to
restore the park. When they first started it was filled with dumped cars and was a haven for
prostitutes and
drug dealers. Much of the trash has been removed, but the twisted lamp posts the cracked steps and
graffiti (which covers every stone or concrete surface in sight) still speak of what the park has been through.