place

Ridgewood Reservoir

AC with 0 elementsBuildings and structures in Queens, New YorkGlendale, QueensNational Register of Historic Places in BrooklynReservoirs in New York (state)
Ridgewood, QueensUse mdy dates from July 2019Water infrastructure of New York CityWater supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places
Aerial photo of the Ridgewood Reservoir, February 2020
Aerial photo of the Ridgewood Reservoir, February 2020

Ridgewood Reservoir is a decommissioned 19th century reservoir and freshwater wetland that sits on the Brooklyn–Queens border in New York City, within what is now Highland Park. Although the reservoir was originally built to secure a reliable water supply for the City of Brooklyn, it is positioned on the Queens side of the border in the neighborhood of Glendale. The reservoir and park are bounded on the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway, on the south by Highland Boulevard, on the west by Vermont Place and on the east by Cypress Hills National Cemetery. The reservoir was named after the Ridgewood Ponds in Nassau County, which provided the reservoir's eastern water source. Consequently, the neighborhood north of the Reservoir became known as Ridgewood.Following decommissioning and abandonment, the reservoir naturally became a lush freshwater wetland. This ecosystem attracted a wide variety of fauna and flora, including some threatened and endangered species such as the Short-eared Owl and Pied-billed Grebe. The bicycling trail around the reservoir perimeter became part of the 40-mile (64 km) Brooklyn-Queens Greenway. Between 2004 and 2017, the Ridgewood Reservoir's future was in question, as the New York City Parks Department and New York State DEC each proposed plans that would have breached the reservoir's basins and disrupted the wetland ecosystem. These plans were dropped after opposition from local community groups who sought to preserve the reservoir's natural setting. In 2018, the reservoir was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was officially designated by the New York State DEC as a Class I freshwater wetland, ensuring its preservation as a natural space.

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

Ridgewood Reservoir
HIghland Park Greenway, New York Brooklyn

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Ridgewood ReservoirContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.688888888889 ° E -73.886944444444 °
placeShow on map

Address

HIghland Park Greenway

HIghland Park Greenway
11207 New York, Brooklyn
New York, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Aerial photo of the Ridgewood Reservoir, February 2020
Aerial photo of the Ridgewood Reservoir, February 2020
Share experience

Nearby Places

Salem Fields Cemetery
Salem Fields Cemetery

Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Temple Emanu-el. Salem Fields is the final resting place for many of the prominent German-Jewish families of New York City. Among those laid to rest in the cemetery are members of the Fox family, founders of 20th Century Fox Film Corp.; the Guggenheim family of mining, newspaper, and museum fame; the Lewisohn family of mining, banking, and philanthropic interests; and the Shubert family, builders of the largest theatre empire in the 20th century. Architectural historian Fredric Bedoire, Professor at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Stockholm, compared the "beautiful" Salem Fields to the architecturally notable mausoleums and undulating landscape of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Architect Henry Beaumont Herts designed the Guggenheim family mausoleum, modeled after the Tower of the Winds at Athens. The entrance of Salem Fields was designed by Henry Fernbach, Central Synagogue's architect.Salem Fields is part of a larger complex of cemeteries spanning into the borough of Queens, including likewise Jewish Machpelah Cemetery, where Harry Houdini is buried; Union Field Cemetery; Mount Judah Cemetery, where several prominent Rabbis lie; Mount Carmel Cemetery; and the non-denominational Cypress Hills Cemetery and Cemetery of the Evergreens.