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HISTORIC PRESERVATION | RESTORATION | ADAPTIVE USE

JGWA logo

HISTORIC PRESERVATION | RESTORATION | ADAPTIVE USE

Croton Watershed Dams

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Westchester and Putnam Counties, NY

Client: The City of New York, Department of Environmental Protection

Project Type: Restoration, Archival research

John G. Waite Associates, Architects has served for over 15 years as the architectural consultant to Washington Group International, an engineering firm which designed the rehabilitation of control and valving systems for dams in the Croton River and Catskill Watersheds, part of the New York City water supply system. For each dam, JGWA undertook archival research to determine the original appearance of the dam and subsequent alterations, and prepared presentation drawings for regulatory approval. This work was followed by contract documents for the restoration of stone gatehouses; the stone and concrete masonry face of the dams; clay tile and metal roofing; wrought iron windows and doors; gate chambers; and original railing systems. In addition, the firm provided historically appropriate designs for new facilities adjacent to the dams, and resident architectural services during the construction phases of the restoration work.

In 1994, JGWA received the Award for Excellence in Design from the Art Commission of the City of New York for the Cross River Dam. In 1997, the project was awarded an Award of Merit by the Concrete Industry Board Inc. of New York.

Amawalk Dam was constructed in a simplified Egyptian Revival style between 1889 and 1896. The structure is an earth-fill dam with a masonry corewall that opens into a 50-foot wide central spillway that continues into the spillway channel. The gate chamber is built into the downstream side of the dam and is faced with cut stone flanked by battered pilasters supporting a flared cornice. Extending east from the facade, a masonry side wall ends in a circular discharge fountain that empties into the spillway channel. JGWA designed and oversaw construction work that cleaned and repointed stonework, designed the surface stonework of a new valve chamber, and that restored the original painted iron door.