Science & Tech
The Harlem Fire Watchtower in Marcus Garvey Park is the only surviving one of eleven cast-iron fire watchtowers New York City began installing in the 1850s. Built by Julius H. Kroehl to a design by James Bogardus, it entered service in 1857 after residents sought better fire protection in a neighborhood then dominated by wooden buildings. Watchers scanned for smoke from its 47-foot height and sounded alarms by bell, later aided by telegraph. It survived as other towers vanished because the park protected it, and after severe deterioration in recent decades, a restoration effort began in 2013 and the rebuilt tower reopened in December 2019.
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New York, New York · United States
