Distributing Reservoir, Murray Hill — F.B. Tower (1843)

Tower's plate of the Croton Distributing Reservoir on Murray Hill at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. This Egyptian Revival fortress, with walls 44 feet high, stored 20 million gallons and was a popular promenade. It was demolished in 1899-1900 to build the New York Public Library — the main branch stands on its exact footprint today.

Date: 1843 Location: Murray Hill, Manhattan (now NYPL Main Branch) Type: lithograph Subjects: river, village, mountain, church, people Source: NYPL, Illustrations of the Croton Aqueduct (F.B. Tower) License: Public domain