Fort Washington Park
Fort Washington Park runs along the Hudson River from the North end
of Riverside Park at 155th Street, under the George Washington Bridge and
up to Inwood Hill Park at Dyckman Street.
Fort Washington was a fort built during the Revolutionary War that was
actually located a few block to the east of Fort Washington Park at the highest
point in Manhattan in what is now Bennett Park.
4/16/2005 05:52 PM |
4/16/2005 04:36 PM |
4/16/2005 05:40 PM |
The Little Red Lighthouse
The
Little Red Lighthouse is located under the GWB on the Manhattan side.
It was originally built in Sandy Hook, New Jersey in 1880 and was moved
by the Coast Guard in 1921 to guide river traffic away from the shoals at
Jeffrey's Hook. In 1942, the lighthouse became a legend when
the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
was written by Hildegarde Swift. The lighthouse became obsolete when navigational
lights were put on the bridge and the lighthouse officially decommissioned in 1948.
As a result of popular appeals inspired by the book, the lighthouse was saved
from the auction block and placed under the jurisdiction of the New York
City Parks Department in 1951.
4/16/2005 05:04 PM
Little Red Lighthouse - from the South |
4/16/2005 05:07 PM
Little Red Lighthouse - from the North |
4/16/2005 05:10 PM
Little Red Lighthouse - from the South |
The best way to get down to the lighthouse is from the North side of the bridge...
4/16/2005 05:23 PM
From the 181st St. IND (A train) station walk west on 181st street as it becomes Lafeyette Plaza. |
4/16/2005 05:25 PM
Walk down Riverside Drive and take the pedestrian overpass that crosses the Northbound Henry Hudson Parkway. |
4/16/2005 05:20 PM
There are painted guides on the sidewalk. |
4/16/2005 05:28 PM
Walk south toward the bridge... |
4/16/2005 05:18 PM
Away from the overpass... |
4/16/2005 04:54 PM
Follow a winding path... |
4/16/2005 04:53 PM
Away from the bridge... |
4/16/2005 04:54 PM
That leads under the Southbound Henry Hudson Parkway... |
4/16/2005 04:56 PM
Over the railroad tracks... |
4/16/2005 04:57 PM
To the bridge... |
4/16/2005 05:02 PM
And under the bridge. |
4/16/2005 04:58 PM
Continuing following the path under <br/>the bridge and down to the water. |
It is possible to get to the lighthouse from the south side of the bridge,
but it requires jumping over barricades and walking amongst spooky folks
that live under the overpasses.
The Fort Washington Link
The Fort Washington Link is a 13 acre park between 155th and 158th streets
that connects Riverside Park and Fort Washington Park along the Hudson River.
This area is landfill created during the West Side Improvement Project
(1934-1937) with the dirt and rock that was excavated to create the underground
rail line beneath Riverside Park. As commercial water traffic decreased
through the years, four waterfront piers in this area were abandoned and
the area served as a largely unimproved road salt truck refill area. The
area was turned over to the Parks Department in 1989 and a 1997 allocation
of two million dollars resulted in the 1999 project that converted the area
to parkland opened in late 2000.
The park is also distinctive as a filter for runoff from the Henry Hudson
Parkway. The Fort Washington Link design incorporates an underground
trench running parallel to the edge of the highway. This trench catches
rainwater from downspouts and directs it through layers of porous materials,
beginning with a layer of rounded gravel and ending with activated
charcoal. This filtering process removes pollution, particularly
hydrocarbons and oils, and passes clean water into the river.
4/16/2005 05:47 PM |
4/16/2005 06:04 PM |
5/16/2005 06:44 PM
Spooky former motel |
5/16/2005 06:58 PM
The Hudson River at Sunset |
4/16/2005 06:07 PM |
4/16/2005 06:08 PM |
4/16/2005 06:13 PM |
|
