place

Macombs Dam

1814 establishments in New York (state)Bridges completed in 1816Bridges in ManhattanBridges in the BronxBuildings and structures demolished in 1839
Concourse, BronxDams completed in 1814Dams in New York (state)Demolished bridges in the United StatesDemolished buildings and structures in ManhattanDemolished buildings and structures in the BronxFormer toll bridges in New York (state)Use mdy dates from April 2014
Macombs Dam, Harlem River 1850 crop
Macombs Dam, Harlem River 1850 crop

Macombs Dam ( mə-KOOMZ) was a dam and bridge across the Harlem River between Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City, which existed from c. 1814 to c. 1858. The bridge was later replaced with the toll-free Central Bridge, and since 1890, the current Macombs Dam Bridge has stood on the site.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Macombs Dam (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Macombs Dam
Macombs Dam Bridge, New York The Bronx

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Macombs DamContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.828087 ° E -73.933847 °
placeShow on map

Address

Macombs Dam Bridge

Macombs Dam Bridge
10039 New York, The Bronx
New York, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Macombs Dam, Harlem River 1850 crop
Macombs Dam, Harlem River 1850 crop
Share experience

Nearby Places

Macombs Dam Bridge

The Macombs Dam Bridge ( mə-KOOMZ; also Macomb's Dam Bridge) is a swing bridge across the Harlem River in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT). The Macombs Dam Bridge connects the intersection of 155th Street and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue), located in Manhattan, with the intersection of Jerome Avenue and 161st Street, located near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The 155th Street Viaduct, one of the bridge's approaches in Manhattan, carries traffic on 155th Street from Seventh Avenue to the intersection with Edgecombe Avenue and St. Nicholas Place. The bridge is 2,540 feet (770 m) long in total, with four vehicular lanes and two sidewalks. The first bridge at the site was constructed in 1814 as a true dam called Macombs Dam. Because of complaints about the dam's impact on the Harlem River's navigability, the dam was demolished in 1858 and replaced three years later with a wooden swing bridge called the Central Bridge, which required frequent maintenance. The current steel span was built between 1892 and 1895, while the 155th Street Viaduct was built from 1890 to 1893; both were designed by Alfred Pancoast Boller. The Macombs Dam Bridge is the third-oldest major bridge still operating in New York City, and along with the 155th Street Viaduct, was designated a New York City Landmark in 1992.

Clef Club

The Clef Club was an entertainment venue and society for African-American musicians in Harlem, achieving its largest success in the 1910s. Incorporated by James Reese Europe in 1910, it was a combination musicians' hangout, fraternity club, labor exchange, and concert hall, across the street from Marshall's Hotel. In its best years, the Clef Club's annual take exceeded $100,000. For musical entertainment in the club, Europe created the first all African-American orchestra in the country called the Clef Club Orchestra. This orchestra was very large, numbering around 125 members, and consisted of a wide variety of instruments. Among the instruments included the normal orchestral instruments of violins, violas, cellos, basses, and the normal wind and brass instruments, but also included mandolins, guitars, banjos, ukuleles, and a large bass drum. These “strummed” instruments were not in small amounts either. According to one account the orchestra included “thirty strummers- ten each of mandolins, guitars and a rare harp guitar, and banjos.” The orchestra was also frequently joined by a men's chorus, eight pianists, and various soloists.Very few of these musicians had any musical training, and hardly any could read music. The conductor is quoted as saying: “I always put a man who can read notes in the middle where the others can pick him up."The Clef Club orchestra performed in 1912 - 1915 on the stage of Carnegie Hall in New York City. This concert stands as a crowning achievement for both the orchestra as well as Europe. The orchestra was very well received, and it is said that during one concert march in particular “music-loving Manhattan felt a thrill down its spine such as only the greatest performances can inspire.” Among Reese's musical collaborators at the Clef Club was Ford Dabney, composer of the song "Shine".