Gapstow Bridge

The stone arch you see before you is the second version of this crossing, built in eighteen ninety-six to replace an original wooden structure. The first bridge, designed by Jacob Wrey Mould, featured ornate cast iron railings that quickly succumbed to the rust and damp of the park environment. When the city replaced it, they chose rough hewn Manhattan schist to match the surrounding landscape, turning a decorative experiment into a permanent feature of the park.