{"nrhp_refnum":"99001131","name":"Keeper's House at Williamsbridge Reservoir","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3400 Reservoir Oval","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bronx","county":"The Bronx","state":"NY","lat":40.878835981000066,"lon":-73.87566982799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-09-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half story, L-shaped granite house at 3400 Reservoir Oval in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx, built c. 1889 as the residence and office of the keeper of the Williamsbridge Reservoir.","why_significant":"It is the only surviving building of the Bronx and Byram water supply system, which supplemented New York's Croton supply from 1890 to 1906, and it is tied to the city's public water works history (Criterion A). It is also a good example of late-nineteenth-century utilitarian civic and vernacular stone architecture that keeps much of its original massing, form and materials (Criterion C). The nomination argues for local significance.","narrative":"Built around 1889 in the Norwood section of the Bronx, this L-shaped granite house served as the home and office of the keeper of the Williamsbridge Reservoir. Plans were approved by aqueduct engineer George W. Birdsall. The reservoir was part of the Bronx and Byram water supply system, which supplemented the Croton system from 1890 to 1906 and helped make Bronx development possible. The house is the only known surviving building of New York's historic water system constructed as a keeper's residence rather than a gatehouse or service facility. Its walls are quarry-faced granite ashlar under a slate roof, and a separate west door once led directly into the keeper's office. After the reservoir was drained in 1925 and turned into a park, the house was sold to a private owner in 1946 and altered, including steel casement windows and a bronze front door. It is recognized for its role in the city's water history and as a sturdy example of Victorian-era utilitarian stone construction.","period_of_significance":"1889-1925","architect_builder":"George W. Birdsall, engineer","architectural_style":"Late Victorian/vernacular","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed current function is vacant; the form notes a preservation organization bought it in 1998 and plans to restore it as a neighborhood improvement center.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.567238-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/99001131.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001131/30e1d39b0a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001131/30e1d39b0a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"KForce / KForce at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WilliamsbridgeReservoirHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">KForce / KForce at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WilliamsbridgeReservoirHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316487","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeper%27s_House_at_Williamsbridge_Reservoir","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6383186"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/the-bronx/keepers-house-at-williamsbridge-reservoir-99001131/"}