Dipway Arch is one of the underpasses pedestrians use to avoid crossing the Park Drive. From here, visitors used to walk a short distance farther uptown and pass over the bridle path on Spur Rock Arch. That span was demolished when the bridle path was terminated on the longitude of Seventh Avenue, and the playground was expanded.

Dipway represents another Calvert Vaux archway designed with a variety of stone textures. Ten original drawings of Dipway remain. The elevation shows granite masonry (the granite is from Rackcliff Island, near Seal Harbor, Maine) set in even courses of ashlar alternating with bush-hammered blocks. The bluish granite is worked into a dramatically shaped coping that caps the tops of the archway and curves along the abutments. The segmental arch is small, measuring 15 feet 6 inches wide and 11 feet 7 inches high.

The red brick that lines the underpass is set in stripes of bricks on an angle. The walls are paneled in blind arcades of seven arches, each with a granite keystone. The center bay of the west arcade has been filled with cement. Benches built along the walls invited visitors to rest in the shade. It was another time when archway underpasses provided for comfortable rest and shelter from the hot summer sun or rain.

Fortunately, Dipway's straightforward cast-iron railings have survived, despite their exposed position on the Drive, even though cars have struck them from time to time.

In comparison to other park bridges, Dipway's stonework is in good condition. The excellent quality of the granite, a hard, consolidated, dense rock, has withstood weather and moisture absorption, and has proven to be the most durable stone building material used in the park.

Erosion on both sides of the archway has contributed to a generally shoddy, muddy passage for the pedestrian. This condition often continues for several days after a heavy rain.

Elevation of northeast and northwest wings. Original drawing. 1860. Municipal Archives.