This tower sits on a ridge above the Manhattan anchorage of the High Bridge. The High Bridge is an aqueduct/pedestrian bridge spanning the Harlem River at roughly 174th Street, that was part of the Old Croton Aqueduct that once carried water from the Croton Reservoir into New York City for much of the 19th Century, replaced by the New Croton Aqueduct around 1917.  The Tower is a water tower.  Built in 1872, and situated at one of the highest points in Manhattan, a coal furnace pumped water to the top of the tower from where it could be delivered to the taller buildings around Manhattan.

High Bridge Park sits on the Manhattan side of the bridge, which is currently closed and undergoing renovations, to be reopened to pedestrian traffic in 2014. While the renovation project takes place the Tower is off limits to the public.