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The View From on High: 1905

New York circa 1905. "Harlem River Speedway and Washington Bridge viewed from High Bridge." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.

New York circa 1905. "Harlem River Speedway and Washington Bridge viewed from High Bridge." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.

 

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"Speedway" launches

On the right (Bronx) side of the river there you see the "Gas Engine Company" "Charles Seabury" plant. They became quite a famous yacht and shipbuilding concern through the early part of the 20th century.

They also built many smaller "motor launches" including one that my brother owned for a number of years. What he (and I until today) never knew was the origin of the name they used for their smaller yachts and motorboats -- "Speedway".

Thanks Shorpy!

Imagine

I can only imagine how nice it would have been in your horse-drawn wagon back then on that super-wide road. No worries about speeding cars, nice views, and fresh air. And they would have had someone to clean up the poop.

Coal pier?

I’ve seen this photograph before and have been wondering what the pier close to the center of the photograph was for. The building with the arched windows on the hill was associated with the New Croton Aqueduct, which crosses the Harlem River at that point. The building with the flat tower was an engine house associated with the aqueduct as well. I’m guessing it was for coal delivery, but haven’t found any concrete evidence to support that.

The coal must have travelled under the Harlem Speedway through a tunnel. There is still an arch in that wall (bricked up now) and can be seen from Depot Place across the river in the Bronx. The buildings on the hill are long gone, though some manholes in the vicinity go to some interesting tunnels. Is there still a tunnel under the Harlem River Drive?

The stone retaining wall above that point is extant between Washington Bridge and the Hamilton Bridge and can be visited from High Bridge Park.

The Bronx Is Up

As a young man growing up in the Bronx, I walked across the High Bridge many times, going to Manhattan to the High Bridge Pool. The Bridge recently reopened after 40 years of neglect and disinterest. It now allows people from the Bronx to go to see friends and other attractions in Washington Heights. Conversely those upper Manhattan people can get to their jobs and schools in the Bronx free and easily. It is also destined to be a major tourist attraction as the Photo Ops it presents will rival those of the High Line Park in Chelsea.

Google View

Google Photo Sphere view from last month, including poor half-boy on the railing.

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