The Blockhouse

The structure you are approaching, known as the Blockhouse, is the oldest surviving building within Central Park, predating the park itself by several decades. Constructed in 1814, it served as a defensive fortification during the War of 1812 to protect New York City from a potential British invasion from the north. The city had initially focused its military defenses on the harbor, but after British forces attacked coastal towns in Connecticut, citizens and volunteers scrambled to build a series of outposts across the high ground of northern Manhattan.