Removal of the Old Croton Distributing Reservoir

The Old Croton Distributing Reservoir, an elevated water storage structure built in the 1840s, occupied the block between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues until it was decommissioned and its walls were removed in the late 19th century. The reservoir site was chosen for the New York Public Library Main Branch, which opened in 1911 and stands on the site today. The replacement of the reservoir with the library and Bryant Park marks a notable disappearance and reuse of a major municipal infrastructure site.