Old Reservoirs

The Croton Distributing Reservoir occupied the site of the New York Public Library. Filling for the reservoir began in 1842 and the structure was torn down in 1890. Its mammoth granite walls, 25 feet in thickness and soaring 50 feet in height, held 20,00,000 gallons of water.

As the population of New York City swelled in the 19th century, the city's reservoirs were built to supply a growing population with a safe and reliable water supply.