Highbridge Park

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Highbridge Park
Highbridge Play Center Highbridge Park.jpg
Highbridge Play Center
Highbridge Park
Type Urban park
Location Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates 40°50′49″N73°55′48″W / 40.84694°N 73.93000°W / 40.84694; -73.93000
Area119 acres (48 ha)
Created1865
Operated by NYC Parks
Public transit access Subway : NYCS-bull-trans-C-Std.svg to 155th Street or 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue
NYCS-bull-trans-1-Std.svg ​ NYCS-bull-trans-A-Std.svg ​ NYCS-bull-trans-C-Std.svg to 168th Street
NYCS-bull-trans-1-Std.svg to 181st Street, 191st Street, or Dyckman Street
Bus : M2, M3, M98, M100, M101, Bx3, Bx6, Bx6 SBS, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35, Bx36
DesignatedJune 26, 2007 [1]
Reference no.2237 [1]
Designated entityBathhouse facade and pool

Highbridge Park is a public park on the western bank of the Harlem River in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It stretches between 155th Street and Dyckman Street in Upper Manhattan. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The City maintains the southern half of the park, while the northern half is maintained by the non-profit New York Restoration Project. [2] [3] Prominent in the park are the Manhattan end of the High Bridge, the High Bridge Water Tower, and the Highbridge Play Center.

Contents

History

Highbridge Park derives its name from New York City’s oldest standing bridge, the High Bridge (1848), which was built to carry the Old Croton Aqueduct over the Harlem River. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the area was sparsely populated with scattered farms and private estates. During the American Revolution, General George Washington used the Morris-Jumel Mansion, adjacent to the southern end of the park near Edgecombe Avenue and West 160th Street, as his headquarters in September and October 1776. [4]

Establishment

The New York City Department of Public Parks acquired a 2.25-mile (3.62 km) strip of land on the Harlem River between 155th and Dyckman Streets in May 1884. Afterward, several commissioners were appointed to assess the value of existing land lots within the park. [5] Local landowners complained about a New York state law that would force them to pay for half of the park's assessed value. [6] A New York Supreme Court judge halted the project in 1886 following disputes over property appraisals. [5] [7] The park hosted the 1887 USA Cross Country Championships. [8] In February 1888, Samuel Parsons Jr. and Calvert Vaux were ordered to prepare plans for Highbridge Park, with a main entrance at 159th Street. [9] That June, the secretary of the city's Board of Street Opening was asked to prepare a resolution setting the park's northern and southern borders at 186th and 155th Streets, respectively. [10] The borders were revised in December 1888 to encompass the land between Tenth (Amsterdam) Avenue to the west and the Harlem River to the east. [11] [12]

Photo-mechanical print of the Harlem River Speedway in the early 20th century showing river access from Highbridge Park Photomechanical print of the Harlem River Speedway in the early 20th century.jpg
Photo-mechanical print of the Harlem River Speedway in the early 20th century showing river access from Highbridge Park

Three men were appointed in April 1889 to appraise 1,976 lots on the site; [13] [14] one of the appointees, former U.S. President Grover Cleveland, declined the position. [15] Property owners continued to oppose the new park, [16] speaking out against a proposed northward extension to Dyckman Street that would have cost $2.5 million. [17] In December 1889, the Board of Street Opening formally decided to reduce the park from 79 to 52.62 acres (31.97 to 21.29 ha), running only from 170th to 181st Street. [18] [19] The majority of the new park, approximately 30 acres (12 ha), was to incorporate the original High Bridge Park on the same site. [18]

The area between 190th and 192nd Streets was occupied by the Fort George Amusement Park, a trolley park/amusement park, from 1895 to 1914; its site is now a seating area in Highbridge Park. [20] A racetrack for horses, the Harlem River Speedway, was opened along the riverbank of the park in 1898. [21]

20th century

Early 20th century

Highbridge Park in winter, c. 1912, by George Benjamin Luks Winter, High Bridge Park by George Benjamin Luks, 1912-13, High Museum of Art.jpg
Highbridge Park in winter, c. 1912, by George Benjamin Luks

The cliffside area from West 181st Street to Dyckman Street was acquired in 1902, and the parcel including Fort George Hill was acquired in 1928. In 1934 the Department of Parks obtained the Highbridge Tower and the site of the old Highbridge Reservoir.

By the early years of the 20th century, 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. By the 1920s dirt and other materials from the build-up of the new Washington Heights neighborhood threatened to ruin the nascent park; a harbinger of bad times to befall the park. [22]

Works Progress Administration renovation

In 1934, mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia nominated Robert Moses to become commissioner of a unified New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. At the time, the United States was experiencing the Great Depression; immediately after La Guardia won the 1933 election, Moses began to write "a plan for putting 80,000 men to work on 1,700 relief projects". [23] [24] By the time he was in office, several hundred such projects were underway across the city. [25]

Moses was especially interested in creating new pools and other bathing facilities, such as those in Jacob Riis Park, Jones Beach, and Orchard Beach. [26] He devised a list of 23 pools around the city, including one at Highbridge Park. [27] [28] The pools would be built using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created as part of the New Deal to combat the Depression's negative effects. [26] [29] Eleven of these pools were to be designed concurrently and open in 1936. Moses, along with architects Aymar Embury II and Gilmore David Clarke, created a common design for these proposed aquatic centers. Each location was to have distinct pools for diving, swimming, and wading; bleachers and viewing areas; and bathhouses with locker rooms that could be used as gymnasiums. The pools were to have several common features, such as a minimum 55-yard (50 m) length, underwater lighting, heating, filtration, and low-cost construction materials. To fit the requirement for cheap materials, each building would be built using elements of the Streamline Moderne and Classical architectural styles. The buildings would also be near "comfort stations", additional playgrounds, and spruced-up landscapes. [30] [31] [32]

Construction for some of the 11 pools began that October, [31] [33] with work commencing on the Highbridge and Hamilton Fish Pools. [33] Highbridge Park had been among the first pool sites to be selected, having been announced by The New York Times in April 1934. [34] By mid-1936, ten of the eleven WPA funded pools were completed and were being opened at a rate of one per week. [26] The Highbridge Pool was the fifth of these pools to open, [35] [36] [a] being opened on July 14, 1936. [37] The complex included a 166-by-288-foot (51 by 88 m) main pool and 166-by-288-foot (51 by 88 m) wading pool. [38]

Later 20th century

Grand staircase, later cut by the vehicular ramp for the Trans-Manhattan Expressway Stone steps at High Bridge, New York City (1886).jpg
Grand staircase, later cut by the vehicular ramp for the Trans-Manhattan Expressway

In 1940, Moses turned portions of the Speedway into the Harlem River Drive, a 6-lane highway from the Manhattan end of the Triborough Bridge at 125th Street, to the tunnels under Manhattan to the George Washington Bridge. New fences blocked public recreational access to the riverfront. It was this series of actions, according to Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, that "ruined" the park. [39] The Highbridge Play Center bathhouse was restored in the 1960s, during which the original murals by Charles Clarke were destroyed or covered over. [40] The 1,200-foot (370 m)-long, 116-foot (35 m)-tall High Bridge walkway was closed to regular public use around 1970. [41]

The controversial 'Daisy Girl' political advertisement was filmed in Highbridge Park in the summer of 1964. [42]

By the 1970s, Highbridge Park and other city parks were in poor condition following the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. Particularly in Highbridge Park, large sections set aside as natural areas, had been taken over by homeless people who built permanent shacks made of sheet metal and steel pipes driven into the earth. Prostitutes, drug dealers and drug users frequented the park. [39] NYC Parks commenced a project to restore the pools in several parks in 1977, including at Highbridge Park, for whose restoration the agency set aside an estimated $5.8 million. [35] These projects were not carried out due to a lack of money. By March 1981, NYC Parks had only 2,900 employees in its total staff, less than 10 percent of the 30,000 present when Moses was parks commissioner. [35] [43] In 1982, the NYC Parks budget increased greatly, enabling the agency to carry out $76 million worth of restoration projects by year's end; among these projects was the restoration of the Highbridge Park pool. [44] The play center and pool were completely renovated over a three-year period following a design by architect Stephen B. Jacobs. The play center reopened on June 14, 1985. [45]

NYC Parks continued to face financial shortfalls in the coming years, and the pools retained a reputation for high crime. [46] In June 1984, a man set fire to the Highbridge Tower roof before jumping to his death. [45] [47] By the mid-1980s, Highbridge had become so degraded that during a manual cleanup in 1986, 250 tons of garbage and 25 auto wrecks were removed, but garbage again began to fill the park within a matter of days. [48] For the summer of 1991, mayor David Dinkins had planned to close all 32 outdoor pools in the city, a decision that was only reversed after a $2 million donation from a trust created upon the death of real estate developer Sol Goldman [49] and $1.8 million from other sources. [46] Additionally, in the 1990s, a practice called "whirlpooling" became common in New York City pools such as Highbridge Park, wherein women would be inappropriately fondled by teenage boys. [50] [51] By the turn of the century, crimes such as sexual assaults had decreased in parks citywide due to increased security. [46]

The condition of Highbridge Park has gotten better, and it is no longer a haven for petty crime and other illegal activities. In November 1991, the water tower was restored. [45] [47] The New York Restoration Project, chaired by Bette Midler, has been working since 1999 to restore the park. [52] The park also received a renovation in 1996, which included a $305,000 pool filtration system and a $445,000 renovation of heating and ventilation in the pool area. [45]

21st century

On May 19, 2007, the first legal mountain bike trails and dirt jumps in New York City were opened in Highbridge Park. New York City Mountain Bike Association, working with NYC Parks & Recreation, and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), worked to design and install the trails; the opening weekend featured a festival and cross-country mountain bike race. [53] [54] [55] Around 2010, the waterfront Speedway was rehabilitated and reopened as the Harlem River portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.

By late 2011, despite the efforts of both the NYRP and NYC Parks, the infrastructure of the park had decayed significantly. [48] [56] The city announced plans for a skatepark under the Hamilton Bridge in 2013, [57] and it opened the following year. [58] The city also announced plans for an ice-skating rink in 2014. [59] A citizen-driven restoration movement culminated in a grant from the Bloomberg administration to repair the bridge and make some other improvements. The restored bridge was reopened on June 9, 2015. [60] However, the park itself still faced several problems. A writer for Curbed NY observed that there were homeless encampments under the Harlem River Drive, and that much of the park south of Washington Bridge remained overgrown. In contrast, the NYRP-maintained northern section of the park was extremely clean. [58]

In 2016, about $30 million in funding was allocated for further improvements to the park's recreational facilities as part of the city's Anchor Parks program. [61] [62] At the time, NYC Parks postponed plans for an ice-skating rink due to a lack of interest. [59] The first phase of Highbridge Park's renovations started in December 2018. This entailed upgrades to lighting and paths, cleanup of a 10-block section of the park, restoration of the "Grand Staircase", creation of a "welcome garden" at Dyckman Street, and creation of an ADA-accessible entrance plaza at 184th Street. [63] The second phase, which started in July 2019, included restoration of the water tower and the Adventure Playground at 164th Street. [64]

Firefighters putting out a brush fire in 2024 Highbridge Park brush fire 30.jpg
Firefighters putting out a brush fire in 2024

10–15 acres of dense brush caught fire in November 2024, as part of a series of wildfires in the Northeast United States due to a drought. For many hours, smoke from it billowed over Harlem River Drive. The section that burned is steep, dense, and without much water. [65] [66] [67]

Attractions and facilities

Playgrounds

There are six playgrounds in Highbridge Park: [68]

High Bridge Water Tower

The High Bridge Water Tower from the south in 2008 Highbridge Tower jeh.JPG
The High Bridge Water Tower from the south in 2008

The High Bridge Water Tower , in the park between West 173rd and 174th Streets, was built in 1866–1872 to help meet the increasing demands on the city's water system. The 200-foot (61 m)-tall octagonal tower was designed by John B. Jervis in a mixture of Romanesque Revival and neo-Grec styles, and was accompanied by the 7-acre (2.8 ha) Highbridge Reservoir. The High Bridge system was inaugurated in 1872, and reached its full capacity by 1875. [47] With the opening of the Croton Aqueduct, the High Bridge system became less relied upon; during World War I it was taken out of service when sabotage was feared. [47] In 1949 the tower was disconnected from the system, [47] [72] and a carillon, donated by the Altman Foundation, was installed in 1958. [47] The tower's cupola was damaged by an arson fire in 1984. The tower and cupola were rehabilitated and restored in 1989–1990. [47] The High Bridge Water Tower was designated a New York City landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967. The High Bridge Water Tower underwent a 10 year, $5 million renovation, and reopened to the public for scheduled tours in November 2021. [73] Tours are free through NYC Parks Department and usually take place several times a month.

Highbridge Play Center

The Highbridge Play Center, on Amsterdam Avenue between West 172nd and West 174th Streets, was built in 1934-36 in the Art Moderne style, during the Fiorello LaGuardia administration. The supervising architect was Aymar Embury II, and the landscape architect was Gilmore D. Clarke, among others. It was built on the site of the reservoir which had formerly served the High Bridge Water Tower, and features a swimming pool. [72] [74]

Bathhouse

Main entrance Highbridge Play Center front jeh.jpg
Main entrance

The bathhouse is set on an ashlar base above the surrounding street level, while the rest of the structure is made of brick. The building is rectangular: the longer side is on a north-south axis (i.e. parallel to Amsterdam Avenue), while the shorter side is on a west-east axis (i.e. parallel to 173rd Street). Its main entrance is on an elevated, slightly projecting portico at Amsterdam Avenue and 173rd Street. Stone staircases on either side ascend to the portico. The portico itself consists of two brick towers with flagpoles, two concrete piers that carry a concrete architrave, and a bronze sign with the words highbridge play center at the top of the architrave. [35] Just inside the portico, there is a circular turret with a second-story loft, overlooking the first-floor entrance. [35]

The north and south wings respectively contain the women's and men's locker rooms and are nearly identical. Both have nine windows separated by eight brick pilasters. The stone capitals of the pilasters line up with the lintels of the windows. Ramps lead from the extreme ends of each wing. The ground slopes down northward, so that the northern wing is at a higher elevation above the ground than the southern wing. [35] The eastern facade is similar to the western facade, except that it contains entrances to both genders' respective locker rooms, as well as a bronze clock hanging from the architrave. A cellar is below the northern wing. [46]

Pools

The Highbridge Pool contains two rectangular pools: a main pool to the east and a wading pool to the west. The main pool measures 228 feet (69 m) wide by 165 feet (50 m) long, with the wider dimension extending north-south, [46] [b] and a depth of 10.5 feet (3.2 m). [75] The wading pool measures 228 feet (69 m) wide by 97 feet (30 m) long. A 29-foot-wide (8.8 m) promenade surrounds the pool area on the north, south, and east sides. A set of concrete bleachers is to the north of the pool area. A short brick wall encloses the pool area, and niches along the eastern boundary provide another seating area. Just east of the pool area is a set of stairs that leads to the High Bridge. The water tower is at the northeast corner of the pool area. [46]

Landmark designations

The High Bridge Water Tower was designated a New York City landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967. [72] The Play Center was designated a New York City landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2007. [72] The commission had also considered the pool for landmark status in 1990, along with the other ten WPA pools in the city. [76] [77]

See also

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ The pools opened in the following chronological order: Hamilton Fish Park, Thomas Jefferson Park, Astoria Park, Tompkinsville Pool, Highbridge Park, Sunset Park, Crotona Park, McCarren Park, Betsy Head Park, Colonial Park, and Red Hook Park. [30] [36]
  2. ↑ Dimensions of the main pool are alternatively given as 220 by 162 feet (67 by 49 m). [75]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007, p. 1.
  2. ↑ "Highbridge Park". New York Restoration Project. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ Nathan Kensinger (June 25, 2015). "As High Bridge Reopens, a Neglected Park Remains in Its Shadow". Curbed New York. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Highbridge Park". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "The Courts: No High Bridge Park Judge Barrett Decides All the Proceeding in the Matter Void". New-York Tribune. March 9, 1886. p. 3. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   573283451.
  6. ↑ "The Police Bill Signed; an Additional Force Authorized for New-york. Hearings on the Canal, Dock Commission, Washington Market, and High Bridge Park Bills". The New York Times. June 8, 1886. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ "No High Bridge Park at Present". The New York Times. March 9, 1886. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Accurate Database of U.S. National Champions". therealxc.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  9. ↑ "The High Bridge Park". The New York Times. February 22, 1888. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Cost of Relieving Broadway". New-York Tribune. June 16, 1888. p. 3. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  11. ↑ "City and Suburban News: New-york. Brooklyn. Westchester County. Staten Island. New-jersey". The New York Times. December 8, 1888. p. 3. ISSN   0362-4331. ProQuest   94653565.
  12. ↑ "Jottings About Town". The Sun. December 8, 1888. p. 2. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Mr. Cleveland a Commissioner". The New York Times. April 2, 1889. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Grover Honored". The Evening World. April 1, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Mr. Cleveland Declines". The New York Times. April 17, 1889. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Acquiring the New Parks; One a Boon and the Other a Burden. Property Owners Will Make a Strong Fight Against the Proposed High Bridge Park". The New York Times. August 4, 1889. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Against Extending High Bridge Park". New-York Tribune. September 10, 1889. p. 7. ISSN   1941-0646. ProQuest   573487885.
  18. 1 2 "High Bridge Park Reduced". Yonkers Statesman. December 7, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Area of High Bridge Park". The New York Times. December 7, 1889. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Martens, Victoria (August 1, 2019). "Fort George Amusement Park". Museum of the City of New York. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Harlem Speedway Opened; Pronounced by Horsemen to be the Finest Driveway for Light Speeding in the Country". The New York Times. July 3, 1898. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Landslide Threatens Highbridge Park" (PDF). The New York Times. April 2, 1922. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
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  24. ↑ Rodgers 1952 , p. 82.
  25. ↑ Rodgers 1952 , p. 84.
  26. 1 2 3 Caro, Robert (1974). The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York . New York: Knopf. p. 456. ISBN   978-0-394-48076-3. OCLC   834874.
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  28. ↑ "Public Swimming Facilities in New York City" (PDF) (Press release). New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. July 23, 1934. p. 3 (PDF p. 30). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  29. ↑ "City to Construct 9 Pools To Provide Safe Swimming". New York Daily News. July 23, 1934. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2019– via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  30. 1 2 "History of Parks' Swimming Pools". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  31. 1 2 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007 , p. 6.
  32. ↑ Shattuck, Kathryn (August 14, 2006). "Big Chill of '36: Show Celebrates Giant Depression-Era Pools That Cool New York". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  33. 1 2 "Park Work Is Begun on 2 Bathing Pools; Construction Under Way at High Bridge and Hamilton Fish -- 7 Others to Be Started Soon" (PDF). The New York Times. October 4, 1934. p. 48. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Moses to Get Two Unneeded Reservoirs As Sites for Stadium and Swimming Pool". The New York Times. April 5, 1934. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007 , p. 10.
  36. 1 2 Gutman, Marta (November 1, 2008). "Race, Place, and Play: Robert Moses and the WPA Swimming Pools in New York City". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. Vol. 67, no. 4. University of California Press. p. 555. doi:10.1525/jsah.2008.67.4.532. ISSN   0037-9808.
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  39. 1 2 Williams, Timothy (July 6, 2005). "Parks Even the Parks Dept. Won't Claim". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
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  41. ↑ "History of The High Bridge". NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  42. ↑ Novicki, Dan (September 7, 2014). "The 'Daisy Girl' political ad still haunting 50 years later". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  43. ↑ Carmody, Deirdre (March 15, 1981). "Parks Department to Start Hiring for First Time Since Fiscal Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  44. ↑ Carmody, Deirdre (June 25, 1982). "City to Start Repairing Three of Its Swimming Pools". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. ProQuest   121985503.
  45. 1 2 3 4 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007 , p. 9.
  46. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007 , p. 11.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gray, Christopher (October 9, 1988). "Streetscapes: The High Bridge Water Tower; Fire-Damaged Landmark To Get $900,000 Repairs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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  49. ↑ "Donation Will Keep 32 Public Pools Open". The New York Times. May 16, 1991. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
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  52. ↑ Hellman, Peter (May 28, 1999). "Bette Midler Was Here: A Park Gets a Second Act". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
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  65. ↑ "Brush fire in Washington Heights under control, FDNY says". WABC-TV . November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  66. ↑ Reid, Alecia (November 19, 2024). "Crews battle large brush fire in Washington Heights park". CBS News . Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  67. ↑ Flanagan, Jacob (November 19, 2024). "Washington Heights brush fire under control: FDNY". WNYW . Retrieved November 19, 2024.
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