Aqueduct’s conduit. They were designed to relieve the buildup of potentially destructive pressure within the tunnels, and to allow the precious water to breathe. Ventilators were placed roughly every mile for thirty-three miles along the Aqueduct, and every third one included a door allowing servicemen to access the conduit. The majority of these ventilators still exist in Westchester County, while very few seem to have been built throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. Ventilators were often constructed to resemble castle turrets and would have been important local landmarks. However, many variations exist between ventilators. could offer an emergency supply of water in the case of the system’s failure. Lastly were the distributing reservoirs, which were the final stop in the system before the water was distributed to individual New York City neighborhoods. The reservoirs of the Croton Waterworks ranged in architectural style from the organic, picturesque Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park to the fortress-like, Egyptian Revival Murray Hill Reservoir. Above: Water tower at 98th Street Weirs Weirs are structures that regulated the flow of water through the Aqueducts. Early weirs were constructed in the 1830s and 1840s for the Old Croton Aqueduct. These weirs had the ability to let off excess water from the conduits. However, they were not capable of diverting the water completely. They utilized a system of boards that could be lowered to adjust the volume of water that could pass 31 through. In the 1880s, new weir technology was introduced. These weirs were capable of diverting water from the system into streams, which would keep any water from going further south in the conduit. This would allow for repairs in the conduit, which were exceedingly difficult beforehand. Style was an important element of weir construction as well. Many weirs along the Croton Waterworks were constructed in the Egyptian Revival style, providing a link to ideas of permanence and water control associated with Ancient Egypt. Support Structures Aside from the typologies outlined, there are also other miscellaneous structures that support the Croton Waterworks. Examples of such structures are coal sheds and coal ramps, such as those located by the High Bridge in Manhattan. 32 Section 2: Preservation Above: New Ossining Weir The significance of the Croton Waterworks as a whole is established on the basis of its contributions to and/or impact on the following four categories, described below in no particular order: Architecture The Croton Waterworks includes a diversity of structures carefully executed in a wide range of architectural styles—including Egyptian Revival, Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, and Italianate. Taken as a whole, the architecture of the system illustrates the evolution Social/Cultural History From the deadly cholera epidemics whose effect on the urban populace marshaled public and legislative support behind the construction of an aqueduct; to the lives of the laborers of varying ethnicities who constructed the system under frequently abject conditions; to the protestations of the Westchester landowners who objected to the construction and work crews in their pastures; to the new era of public sanitation that was touched off with the completion of the system; to the post-construction developments that saw many of the structures along the Waterworks becoming desirable venues for socializing, sightseeing, and recreation—all aspects of the conceptualization, construction, and development of the Landscape The construction of the Croton Waterworks altered the contour and character of a contiguous ribbon of land connecting New York City, the Bronx, and Westchester County. At the same time, however, the nature of the landscape itself played an integral role in the functional and aesthetic properties of the system. The resulting landscape has been a unique fixture of these communities, and in some cases a decisive factor in their economic rebirth. This landscape thus provides a vital link to the history of the region, and demonstrates the interrelationship of urban and rural areas. These categories may be used to determine the significance of the individual structures that comprise the Waterworks. It should be noted, however, that an individual structure need not be found significant in all categories in order for it to be considered significant as a whole. The keeper’s house in Dobbs Ferry, for instance, contributes little from the perspective of engineering, but is nonetheless found to be significant on the basis of architecture and social/cultural history. Although our holistic approach encourages the preservation of all components of the system, we recognize that the rubrics established above will lead to certain structures’ being deemed more significant than others. We further recognize that in a system as vast as the Croton Waterworks, there will be many somewhat mundane structures that cannot be counted among the immediate priorities for preservation. In the event that one of these relatively insignificant structures is slated for dismantling or demolition, we encourage for procedures to be put in place that call for the documentation