The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated Mount Morris Park Fire Watchtower, October 26, 2019. Image Credit: Daniel Avila / NYC Parks

The Fire Watchtower is the only one remaining of its kind in New York City. On October 28, 2019, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver was joined by elected officials and members of the community to cut the ribbon on the renovated Mount Morris Fire Watchtower at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. Comptroller Scott Stringer, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Assembly Member Inez Dickens, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York City Council Member Bill Perkins, Community Board 11 Chair Nilsa Orama, Marcus Garvey Park Alliance President Connie Lee, Mt. Morris Park Community Improvement Association Former President Syderia Asberry-Chresfield were present. (read more…)

The Fire Watchtower in Marcus Garvey Park, prior to disassembly. Image credit: Parks Department

Because individual landmark will be accessible to the public, railings and other safety features will be incorporated into reconstructed tower, as well a stainless steel structural elements. On July 14, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved an application to reconstruct the Watch Tower in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, an individual City landmark. The four-story octagonal tower, built around 1855, originally served as a fire lookout tower for Northern Manhattan. It is the only extant example of the several fire towers that once stood throughout the City. Built of cast iron, the structure has severely degraded, and cannot be restored without reconstruction. The landmarks designation only encompasses the structure and the land it stands on, and none of the surrounding parkland.

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