As the population of New York City swelled in the 19th century, the city's reservoirs were built to supply a growing population with a safe and reliable water supply.

The Prospect Hill Water Tower, unknown date. The Prospect Hill Water Tower once stood at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue. First built to supply nearby houses with water, by the late 1800s the towering 30-foot gothic structure had become a famed Brooklyn sight. It stood adjacent to Mount Prospect Reservoir, which no longer exists today, and afforded Brooklynites with a view that overlooked the the entire city. According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the 20-feet deep Mount Prospect Reservoir contained “just about enough water to cook the breakfast of the people of Brooklyn for a week.” In fact, back when Brooklyn was an independent city, most drinking water was pumped from Long Island, into a large receiving reservoir in Ridgewood, Queens, and eventually fed into this reservoir. During water shortages, including an acute episode in January of 1893, the tower was pressed into service to relieve parched residents. In 1930, the Water Tower was demolished to make way for the expansion of the Brooklyn Public Library.