Manhattan · New York County
Blockhouse No. 1
NYC Parks
- Location
- Northwest corner of Central Park, near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard at 110th Street
- Size
- Part of Central Park acres
- Hours
- Central Park hours
- Type
- NYC Parks
Blockhouse No. 1 is the oldest structure in Central Park, a stone fortification built in 1814 during the War of 1812 to defend Manhattan against a potential British invasion that never came.
The blockhouse sits atop a rocky outcrop in the North Woods, the most remote and least visited section of Central Park. The stone walls, partially ruined, are surrounded by mature forest that gives the site a timeless, almost medieval atmosphere.
The fortification was one of several defensive positions constructed across northern Manhattan during the War of 1812, when the city feared a British naval attack. The blockhouse is the only surviving military structure from this period in Manhattan.
The site's remote location in the park's northwest corner means most Central Park visitors never discover it. Those who make the trek find a genuine ruin in a forested hilltop setting that feels centuries removed from the city below.
Blockhouse No. 1 is Central Park's hidden archaeological treasure, a War of 1812 fortification where the ghosts of soldiers who waited for an invasion that never arrived are sheltered by trees that have been growing since before the park was built.