Central Park Reservoir

In the 1800s in New York City, people lived just like us in smaller homes or apartments. However, people did not have toilets and sinks. In fact, people dumped their waste right into whatever body of water was nearby! And in many cases, that was the same water source where their drinking water came from…

But in the early days of the 1800’s, New York City was small in size, stretching no further than two miles north from the southern tip of Manhattan. There was a lot of land to the north of the city that had not been polluted that was thought could be a good source of clean water.

The water from the Croton System couldn't immediately be sent to residents' homes. The water was first stored in receiving reservoirs before it could be distributed to homes, offices, and factories. Can you imagine a reservoir in the middle of Manhattan?

In 1865, Egbert Viele mapped the entire island of Manhattan, capturing the island's unique landscape, and also the sites of the streams and reservoirs. Explore the map below to see what Manhattan looked like in the 1800s! Use the zoom buttons to help you.

Scroll down to learn about the different birds that call the Central Park Reservoir home, or those that stop by on their way either north or south!

We hope you enjoyed learning about this grand landmark in the middle of Manhattan!

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