Kensico Dam: masculine icon

Driving north on the Bronx River Parkway in Westchester County, New York, a driver comes upon a most dramatic sight, the view of Kensico Dam across the 98-acre Kensico Dam Plaza. The dam has loomed over Valhalla for the past 88 years. It is a most impressive sight indeed.

Here are some views:

Photo: NYC Dept of Environmental Protection


Photo: Westchester County Dept of Parks, Recreation and Conservation

Beautiful, no? Or perhaps I should say handsome. It seems the authorities have recently been determined to stress the masculinity of the dam. And indeed, with that much grey-brown stone rising out of the land to great heights, I suppose it is a fairly masculine edifice.

How have the authorities chosen to emphasize the male nature of the dam?

As a driver approaches the dam from the south, he comes across a large lighted sign proclaiming,

TESTTES

Forgiving the signmakers their mild misspelling, can there be any firmer announcement of the masculinity of the dam?

Here is a photo I snapped of the sign the evening of March 6:

Photo: David M

(Note the green sign just to the right of the TESTTES sign. Its second line reads, "Kensico Plaza.")

Here is a slightly enlarged shot of the TESTTES sign:


Photo: David M

Removes any doubt as to the gender of the dam, no?