Aqueduct Walk

What was here before?
In the early 19th century, New York City grew faster and larger than any other city in the Western Hemisphere. Like most American cities of the time, New York suffered from an unreliable and polluted water supply. Terrible fires and recurring epidemics of yellow fever and cholera periodically devastated the city. In 1834 the state legislature approved a plan to use the Croton River as the city’s water supply. Construction began, including on this property, in 1837 to build the Croton Dam, a 41-mile-long conduit, 114 stone culverts, numerous bridges and embankments, and reservoirs at Central Park and 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue (now Bryant Park). The Croton Aqueduct opened with great fanfare on July 4, 1842.

The Croton Aqueduct stretches 41 miles from Croton Dam, through Westchester County and the Bronx, and into Manhattan. Most of the property that became the park known as “Aqueduct Lands” was acquired by condemnation between 1837 and 1838, with additional parcels annexed in 1895, 1953, and 1973.

How did this site become a playground?
In 1930 the Department of Parks was given surface rights to the lands held by the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity. Restrictions limited development to playground use and to light construction and planting.

The shoestring park—named after its long and skinny shape—was developed in the 1930s and 1940s with paved paths, game tables, benches, handball courts, shuffleboard courts, and three playgrounds. The playground at Morton Place opened in 1947.

The playground was renovated in 2008, and in 2024 it was connected to Aqueduct Walk. At that time, new play equipment, basketball courts, spray showers, and passive amenities were constructed.

Who is this playground named for?
Morton Place was named for Thomas Morton, who bought part of the large Benjamin Berrian farm in 1855.