THE HENDRIK HUDSON MEMORIAL BRIDGE 
PROPOSED TO BE BUILT ACROSS THE HARLEM RIVER 
AT SPUYTEN DUYVIL, N. Y. 
S EVERAL plans have been proposed for 
the celebration of the tercentenary of 
the discovery of the North River, but none 
with so practical and permanent a purpose 
as that urged by the Hendrik Hudson Memo¬ 
rial Association. After considering three 
ideas, the erection of a water gate at the 
Battery, a triumphal arch and a memorial 
bridge at the northern end of Manhattan 
Island, the last was adopted. 1 he site 
chosen is between Inwood and Spuyten Duy- 
vil, near the junction of the Hudson River 
and the Harlem Ship Canal, as it is now com¬ 
monly called. Directly across the Hudson 
are the Palisades, while in the opposite direc¬ 
tion lies the Harlem River between heavily 
wooded slopes broken by rocky promon¬ 
tories. On the south side of the Harlem is 
the Speedway, from which a clear view of the 
proposed bridge could be had. An effective 
argument in favor of the scheme has been 
that a bridge at this point will serve as a pro¬ 
longation of Riverside Drive, by connecting 
the Boulevard Lafayette with Spuyten Duyvil 
Parkway, thus making a continuous parkway 
from Central Park, through Seventy-second 
Street, to Van Cortlandt Park. 
The accompanying illustration is in the 
nature of a tentative sketch designed by Boiler 
& Hodge, consulting engineers, in association 
with Walker & Morris, architects. The 
bridge, as planned, will be about one-half of 
a mile long from ground to ground, with a 
span of 400 feet over the navigable channel. 
From the water level to the top of the span 
is 150 feet. Provision is made for a 6o-foot 
roadway, with 20-foot sidewalks^on each side. 
Near the southern end are to be placed two 
pavilions or resting places, and a concourse 
marked by four columns, with minor sculp¬ 
tural decorations. Over each of the main 
piers in the sketch appears a massive arch, 
about 70 feet high, giving room for ornamen¬ 
tation with sculpture and for appropriate tab¬ 
lets. These arches are open to the criticism 
of being obstructions to the view, and prob¬ 
ably to traffic; nor do they serve any con¬ 
structive purpose. It is to be remembered, 
however, that the sketch is hardly more than 
a suggestion. 
The city authorities are so far committed 
to the plan of a bridge at this point that they 
have made an appropriation for borings, sur¬ 
veys and specifications. It is roughly esti¬ 
mated that the structure proper would cost 
the city $1,500,000, to which the Hendrik 
Hudson Memorial Association hopes to add a 
million dollars more for statuary, electroliers 
and other ornamentation. 
An interesting corollary to the memorial 
bridge proposal is advanced by the Scenic and 
Historic Preservation Society, which has un¬ 
covered the ruins of an old Indian village 
and many valuable relics near the mouth 
of the Harlem. It hopes to induce the 
city to purchase a tract of several acres, 
including part of Inwood Heights, and con¬ 
vert it into a public park. If this project 
is carried out, a fine open space will be 
preserved at the southern end of the bridge, 
which will add greatly to the beauty of the 
approach. 
87 
