3. Highbridge Park Was Assembled Piecemeal

Highbridge Park currently spans 119-acres, but the land that now comprises the green space was assembled piece-by-piece between 1867 and the 1960s — the bulk of which was acquired from 1895 to 1901.

According to NYC Parks and Recreation, the cliffside area from West 181st Street to Dyckman Street was incorporated in 1902, while the parcel including Fort George Hill was acquired over two decades later in 1928.

However, it wasn’t until 1888 that landscape architect Samuel Parsons Jr. and architect/landscape designer Calvert Vaux actually came together to design the park.