Harlem Fire Watchtower

The Harlem Fire Watchtower is a cast iron tower standing about 47 feet high with an observation deck and bell system located within Marcus Garvey Park. The structure was designed to spot fires across the neighborhood and alert residents through sound signals.

Julius H. Kroehl designed this tower in 1856 as part of a network of fire observation structures built across New York City. It remains the only surviving example from that original citywide system of fire detection stations.

The tower shows how fire safety was once managed in the city and remains a symbol of 19th-century urban vigilance before modern communication systems arrived.

The tower sits within Marcus Garvey Park and is easiest to reach by subway, which drops you off near the park entrance. It works well as a stop during a walk through the park to see the structure up close and explore the surrounding streets.

A major restoration in the early 2020s took apart the entire cast iron structure piece by piece and reassembled it to preserve the original form. The project revealed how complicated it was to maintain the fine details of this historic tower.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1856

Architects: Julius H. Kroehl

GPS coordinates: 40.80415,-73.94358

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:48