High Pumping Station
Why it's listed
Beside the Jerome Park Reservoir in the northwest Bronx, this red brick pumping station was built between 1901 and 1906 under George W. Birdsall of the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity. It formed part of the reservoir complex tied to the Croton Aqueduct system and moved water from the reservoir to consumers across the borough. Its pumps supplied the pressure needed to carry water over hilly ground and up into multi-storied buildings, which helped the Bronx develop in the 1910s and 1920s. The building has a steeply pitched slate roof, paired round-arched windows set between shallow brick buttresses, and gable ends decorated with corbelled rondels. These features reflect the Romanesque Revival style, applied here to a working utility structure with unusually fine detail and workmanship. The exterior has not been altered. Inside, an electric pump and motor, probably installed around 1940, replaced the original coal-fired steam system.
Significance in brief: It was built to pump reservoir water across the Bronx's hilly terrain and supply the pressure needed to reach upper floors of tall buildings, which supported the borough's development in the 1910s and 1920s. It is also one of the few visible, architecturally designed parts of the Croton Aqueduct system. It is a distinctive Romanesque Revival design applied to a utilitarian building, with high-quality brickwork.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83003882, listed November 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jerome Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | November 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003882 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1901-06 |
| Architect / builder | George W. Birdsall, Supervising Architect (Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and publicly owned, in industrial use. No exterior alterations; an electric pumping system from about 1940 replaced the original coal-fired steam system. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.87847, -73.88635 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83003882.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706362
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.