“Gate House No. 2 is located in the north basin of the Reservoir. Gate House No. 2 consists of two components; a 40-foot by 35-foot main building that extends from the bedrock below the Reservoir floor to one story above the top of the Reservoir embankment and a 200-feet long underground passageway that extends from the main building to Sedgwick Avenue. Currently, Gate House No. 2 serves as the main drainage facility of the Reservoir and also functions as a north basin water supply source for Gate House No. 5.”[1,p.10]
“In 1938, designs were prepared for Gate Houses Nos. 2, 5, and 7. Plans were prepared by the Design Unit, Project Planning Section, Division of Operations, and Works Progress Administration (WPA). No architect's name is associated with these designs since they were prepared by the federal staff of the WPA for the New York City DWSG&E. There is no evidence that the construction of these gate houses entailed any changes to the mechanical systems of the Reservoir. While apparently there had been interest in building gate house superstructures from the time that Jerome Park Reservoir opened in 1906, it was not until 1938 that funds were available for this work. The smaller gate houses surrounding the Reservoir appear to be similar to those designed by the WPA in 1938, but no evidence has been located as to how these were funded or who built them.”[1,p.104]
“According to plans and elevations on file with the NYCDEP Job No. 254, the extant Gate House No. 2 superstructure was built as part of the 1937-38 WPA effort for the DWSGE. The Gate House No. 2 superstructure is an irregularly shaped, one-story, flat-roofed structure, and the projecting brick piers, with limestone lintels, divide the walls into bays. On the Reservoir facade, or south elevation, are three windows set into the bays. The massive ashlar foundation is visible from the Reservoir.”[1,p.106]
References:
- Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Croton Water Treatment Plant, nyc.gov archive, p.10 of Section 8.2 of The Croton Water Filtration Plant Project: Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, July 16, 2004.
- Landscape Features and Historic Structures at Jerome Park Reservoir (Lehman College).