Can you imagine what this place was before? After the outcome of the Battle of Long Island, the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, which led to the occupation of New York City by the British army, General Washington led his troops through this area in his attempt to retreat. Decades later, the land was transformed into a potter’s field. But the transformations continued. In 1839, the Croton Distributing Reservoir was erected in the area, while a park named Reservoir Square was designed to the west of it. What did the reservoir look like? Imagine an artificial lake surrounded by massive granite walls, with public promenades on top.