3. Riverdale—Spuyten Duyvil—Kingsborough Memorial Bell Tower (Riverdale Monument)
One of the most unique war memorials in NYC is located in Bell Tower Park. The Riverdale Monument commemorates soldiers and WWI veterans from the neighborhoods of Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil and Kingsborough in the Bronx. The park itself is named after the 500-ton tower and Spanish bell located on the site.
According to NYC Parks & Recreation, the bell was originally cast in 1762 for a Mexican monastery. It was later captured by General Winfield Scott during the Mexican War and brought back to New York City, where it was originally housed at Greenwich Village’s Jefferson Market. Following a second relocation to a Riverdale firehouse, the bell was installed in its current tower, which was moved 700 feet south to clear space for the Henry Hudson Parkway.