By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — The High Bridge Water Tower, one of northern Manhattan’s best-known structures, was closed indefinitely to the public this week because of safety concerns and will likely need $1 million in repairs, the Parks Department said.
Parks officials said they were so alarmed by the condition of the tower's roof and windows that a contractor was called in on an emergency basis this week to secure the structure, which dates back to 1872 and is landmarked.
After stabilizing the structure, the contractor told the Parks Department that the tower was no longer a danger to the immediate area.
Parks is currently planning a more extensive assessment of the concrete and steel frame of the majestic tower, which overlooks the scenic Harlem River along 174th Street near Amsterdam Avenue.
The department has been pressing city and state elected officials for the past two years to approve funding to upgrade and repair the windows, iron stair treads, hand rails and the Carillon bells, which were last heard in 1957, said Parks spokeswoman Cristina DeLuca.
The building has a long history of neglect. In the 1980s the High Bridge Tower fell into disrepair when someone set a fire that burned down the tower’s roof, the New York Times reported. Parks fixed the roof afterwards, spending $900,000 on the restoration.
The area surrounding the tower is also undergoing a large-scale renovation, with $60 million being spent on the restoration to the High Bridge, a pedestrian bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx across the Harlem River. The bridge is part of a $96 million investment in the surrounding Highbridge Park.
DeLuca said the agency will conduct a more detailed scope of needed work on the tower once a thorough assessment of the structure is completed.
