The Inspiration Point Shelter, located on the Henry Hudson Parkway and 190th Street, is one of the unique treasures that dot the Hudson River Greenway. These attractions, which include the abandoned 69th Street Transfer Bridge, are remnants from the city’s past. The Inspiration Point Shelter was designed by Gustave Steinacher, the Chief Engineer of the New York City Department of Parks, and was built in 1925. It was conceived as a rest stop and destination point for promenaders and pleasure drivers. The shelter was a two story neoclassical structure, with rows of Doric columns, and contained public restrooms on the lower floor.

Beginning in the 1930s, the  Henry Hudson Parkway changed from a place for pleasure drives to a through-way.   As a result, the shelter fell by the wayside and into disuse. In the late 1980s the city restored the shelter and made some minor  structural  changes. Only the street level of the shelter is now accessible to the public. The roof was rebuilt as a wooden trellis to minimize maintenance costs, and a barrier was built between the shelter and the Henry Hudson Parkway, making it inaccessible to vehicles.

Views of the Inspiration Point Shelter today:

The shelter provides great vistas of the Hudson River, the New Jersey Palisades, and the George Washington Bridge:

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