New Croton Dam Spillway

This historical piece showcases a photograph of the nearly completed New Croton Dam's spillway, captured during construction before water typically flowed over it. The image comes from the George P. Hall & Son Photograph Collection at the New-York Historical Society.

The article highlights the immense scale of the structure, noting that it was "made entirely of hand-hewn stone which was cut, moved and placed without the aid of modern construction equipment." The photograph includes detail shots that emphasize the dam's massive proportions, with "the ladder in the lower right corner of this detail" serving as a scale reference.

According to the article, the commercial photography firm "operated in Manhattan from 1886 through 1914. Working out of several studios, the firm documented the changing face of New York City at the turn of the 20th century." Their photographs were published in calendars, viewbooks, and periodicals including King's Views of New York and Harper's Weekly.