North end of Bronx Park, June 2014: path, lighting, benches, footbridge over the Bronx River.

Until 1937, the north portion of Bronx Park was owned by the NY Botanical Garden and the NY Zoological Society and had no public facilities such as paths, lighting, playgrounds, or athletic fields. As part of the Bronx River Parkway extension project, the Parks Department gained jurisdiction and, with Works Progress Administration labor, began to convert the entire area into a park. This was one big New Deal project with many parts, including:

• Reiss Field on the east side (1939) [see gallery];
• Waring Playground on the east side (1939) [see gallery];
• Rosewood Playground on the east side (1940) [see gallery];
• 227th Street Playground on the east side (1941) [see gallery];
• French Charley's Playground on the west side (1941) [see gallery];
• Allerton Ballfields on the west side (1941) [see gallery].

The rest of this land would be turned by the WPA labor force into a proper park with landscaping, asphalt paths, bridges, lighting, benches, drinking fountains, drainage, comfort stations, and entry points (including two footbridges over the railroad tracks) in a project that started in July 1940 and was completed in June 1941:

• July 29, 1940 press release
• June 22, 1941 press release

Bronx Park is notable for its mixture of open lawns and dense forest, and for the river which runs through its entire length: the Bronx River – the only river in York City.

The New Deal in NYC 1932-1943 | Frank da Cruz | fdc@columbia.edu