Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
These Are The Keys To The Old Reservoir That Used To Be In Midtown
By
Meredith Mann, NYPL
Published Sep 16, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy of the NYPL
By
Meredith Mann, NYPL
Published Sep 16, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Before providing the foundations for The New York Public Library, the land at 40th Street and Fifth Avenue served another crucial civic purpose, as the site of a reservoir and a key point in the city’s water distribution system. During the early 19th century, New York City’s existing water supply was not clean, reliable, or large enough for the drinking and firefighting needs of a rapidly growing city.
What emerged was an engineering feat: from a newly-constructed dam on the Croton River in Westchester County, water traveled along 40 miles of aqueducts. Once in the city, water first visited a receiving reservoir—located at what is now the Central Park Great Lawn—before arriving at the Croton Distributing Reservoir, also known as the Murray Hill Reservoir, where it was distributed to city residents through a 170-mile network of pipes.
Read More: Midtown Was Once Home To A Reservoir, "With Moonlight Dancing On The Water"
Construction of the Croton water system began in 1837, and the first drops of water entered the Croton Distributing Reservoir on July 4th, 1842. The city celebrated the completion of the public works project on October 14th of that year, when Croton River water spouted from the fountain in City Hall Park. The occasion was feted with fireworks, a parade, a hundred-gun salute, and a city-wide holiday, allowing the public to gather and sing the newly-penned “Croton Ode.”
Keys to the Croton Water System’s Murray Hill Reservoir.
Courtesy of the NYPL
The Croton Distributing Reservoir itself was constructed of granite walls over 44 feet in height that could hold 20 million gallons of water. A notable member of the engineering team was architect James Renwick, who would go on to design New York’s Grace Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Its monumental, imposing facade was decorated in the Egyptian Revival style popular at the time, and topped with a public promenade that afforded sweeping views of the city. During the 1850s, this included an unbeatable glimpse of the Crystal Palace, constructed next door in modern-day Bryant Park for the 1853 World’s Fair. In 1899, the reservoir was no longer in use, and demolition began to make way for the construction of the Library.
Read More: Here's How To Get To The Old 1800s Reservoir From Inside The NYPL
This set of keys to the Croton Distributing Reservoir’s door is part of the Library’s archives, and one of the over 250 items that will be on display as part of the Library’s permanent Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures. They were a gift from Carrère and Hastings, the firm responsible for the design and construction of the Library’s 42nd Street building. From the Library’s South Court, adjacent to Astor Hall and the exhibition, visitors can still see the rough stone foundations of the reservoir. And so almost 200 years later, this parcel of land retains its purpose: as a site that collects and distributes a vital public resource to all New Yorkers.
The old Croton reservoir brick inside the NYPL.
For a fun look at their history, check out the Library’s new TikTok, which is sharing more on the institution’s treasures, including the keys.
This story is part of our partnership with the NYPL around the exhibition, which showcases items spanning 4,000 years from the Library's research collections—we'll be publishing one NYC-related object a day throughout September, and you can see everything at gothamist.com/treasures. The Treasures exhibition opens Friday, September 24th, 2021 at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Free timed tickets are now available here.
Tagged
flashback
history
croton reservoir
nypl
NYC Treasures
Meredith Mann, NYPL
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .