Crotona Park Explained

Crotona Park
Location:South Bronx, New York
Area:127.5acres
Created:1888
Operator:New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Status:open
Publictransit:New York City Subway

174th Street
New York City Bus: local buses

Open:7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Crotona Park is a public park in the South Bronx in New York City, covering 127.5acres. The park is bounded by streets of the same name on its northern, eastern, southern, and western borders, and is adjacent to the Crotona Park East and Morrisania neighborhoods of the Bronx. It is divided into four portions by Claremont Parkway and Crotona Avenue, which run through it.

Crotona Park formerly belonged to the Bathgate family, a prominent landowning family in the South Bronx. It was created through the New Parks Act in 1888 as part of a boroughwide network of parks connected by parkways. The Crotona Play Center was added in 1936. Crotona Park was formerly 155acres, but the northern portion was cut off by the Cross Bronx Expressway in 1945, becoming what is now known as Walter Gladwin Park. After a period of deterioration in the late 20th century, several improvement projects were commenced starting in the 1990s.

Crotona Park includes a 3.3acres lake, as well as numerous recreational facilities such as a swimming pool. The Crotona Play Center, a national and city-designated landmark, is in the western part of the park. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

History

Early history

In the 1870s, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted envisioned a greenbelt across the Bronx, consisting of parks and parkways that would align more with existing geography. This contrasted with Manhattan's grid system, laid out during the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which had given rise to Central Park, a park with mostly artificial features within the bounds of the grid.[1] However, in 1877, the city declined to act upon his plan.[2] Around the same time, New York Herald editor John Mullaly pushed for the creation of parks in New York City, particularly lauding the Van Cortlandt and Pell families' properties in the western and eastern Bronx respectively. He formed the New York Park Association in November 1881.[3] There were objections to the system, which would apparently be too far from Manhattan, in addition to precluding development on the parks' sites.[4] [5] However, newspapers and prominent lobbyists, who supported such a park system, were able to petition the bill into the New York State Senate, and later, the New York State Assembly (the legislature's lower house).[6] In June 1884, Governor Grover Cleveland signed the New Parks Act into law, authorizing the creation of the park system.[7] [8]

Acquired in 1888 as a result of the New Parks Act, Crotona Park is on part of the former estate of the Bathgate family, which owned large plots of land in the South Bronx. Alexander Bathgate, a Scottish immigrant, had acquired the land from his employer Gouverneur Morris.[9] At the time, the land comprising present-day Crotona Park was called Bathgate Woods, which was on a high point and contained woods and a pond called Indian Lake. The Bathgate family opened the area near Indian Lake to the public, and it became a picnicking spot.[10] The Bronx Department of Parks, in its 1884 report to the state legislature, noted the land as having "indispensable requisites for a park", such as a "luxuriant growth of forest" with native oaks, elms, and magnolias, as well as proximity to railroad lines such as the Third Avenue elevated and the Harlem Line.[11] Due to rapid urbanization, Bathgate Farm quickly became one of the few remaining greenspaces in the Bronx. When the Bronx Department of Parks acquired the parkland, it originally planned to name the now-public parkland Bathgate Park. Due to one park engineer's disagreements with the Bathgate family, it was named "Crotona", after the ancient Greek city of Crotone in what is now Italy, and to distinguish it from the nearby, similarly named Croton Aqueduct water system. The northernmost section of Crotona Park was known as Old Borough Hall Park due to the presence of Bronx Borough Hall in the park.[12]

The park did not receive many improvements until the 20th century. Indian Lake's perimeter was paved in the early 1900s, and an ice-skaters' concession stand and a warming hut were installed.[13] In addition, landscaping work was performed, and a new grandstand for concerts and ball games was erected. Three hundred American elms were planted around the lake in 1903. Two years later, an athletic field for the New York City Department of Education was built.[14] A bill was introduced in the Assembly in 1909, which would install a New York National Guard armory in Crotona Park.[15] The bill was heavily denounced by the public,[16] and though both the Assembly and Senate passed the bill,[17] [18] mayor George B. McClellan Jr. vetoed it.[19] Crotona Park was expanded via land acquisition in 1907 and 1911, and extra tennis courts were added in 1915.[20] A concrete wall around the lake's perimeter, as well as lamps and paths, were installed in 1914. A "farm garden", to teach children about farming, was added in 1928.

By 1911, local landowners complained that the sporting events at the athletic field and bandstand were too loud.[21] They requested that the field be moved further within Crotona Park.[22] In 1916, several local landowners filed a lawsuit, calling the athletic field and bandstand "nuisances" that were not conducive to park operation.[23] Some of these landowners alleged that they could not sell their property.

Works Progress Administration renovation

In 1934, mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia nominated Robert Moses to become commissioner of a unified New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. At the time, the United States was experiencing the Great Depression; immediately after La Guardia won the 1933 election, Moses began to write "a plan for putting 80,000 men to work on 1,700 relief projects". By the time he was in office, several hundred such projects were underway across the city.

Moses was especially interested in creating new pools and other bathing facilities, such as those in Jacob Riis Park, Jones Beach, and Orchard Beach.[24] [25] He devised a list of 23 pools around the city, including one at Crotona Park.[26] [27] The pools would be built using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created as part of the New Deal to combat the Depression's negative effects.[28] Eleven of these pools were to be designed concurrently and open in 1936. Moses, along with architects Aymar Embury II and Gilmore David Clarke, created a common design for these proposed aquatic centers. Each location was to have distinct pools for diving, swimming, and wading; bleachers and viewing areas; and bathhouses with locker rooms that could be used as gymnasiums. The pools were to have several common features, such as a minimum 55abbr=NaNabbr= length, underwater lighting, heating, filtration, and low-cost construction materials. To fit the requirement for cheap materials, each building would be built using elements of the Streamline Moderne and Classical architectural styles. The buildings would also be near "comfort stations", additional playgrounds, and spruced-up landscapes.[29] [30]

Plans for the construction of ten tennis courts, a new playground, and additional handball courts and baseball diamonds at Crotona Park were announced in May 1934.[31]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Landscape into cityscape: Frederick Law Olmsted's plans for a greater New York City. Olmsted. Frederick Law. Vaux. Calvert. Croes. John James Robertson. 1968. Cornell University Press. Fein. Albert. 331. 9780442225391. en.
  2. Golan. Michael. 1975. Bronx Parks: A Wonder From the Past. Bronx County Historical Society Journal. The Bronx County Historical Society. 12. 2. 32–41.
  3. News: The Need of More Parks; First Meeting of the New-York Park Association Yesterday.. November 27, 1881. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818210507/https://www.nytimes.com/1881/11/27/archives/the-need-of-more-parks-first-meeting-of-the-newyork-park.html. live.
  4. Web site: Van Cortlandt Park, Borough of the Bronx: Restoration Master Plan, Part 1. 1986. New York City Parks Department, Storch Associates. August 18, 2019. 56. December 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161227051239/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/98_A.pdf. live.
  5. News: The Albany Legislators.; Parks for New-York City—Limiting Mayor Edson's Appointments.. March 25, 1884. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818210142/https://www.nytimes.com/1884/03/25/archives/the-albany-legislators-parks-for-newyork-citylimiting-mayor-edsons.html. live.
  6. Book: Mullaly, John. The New Parks Beyond the Harlem: With Thirty Illustrations and Map. Descriptions of Scenery. Nearly 4,000 Acres of Free Playground for the People. 1887. Nabu Press. 978-1-141-64293-9. New York. 117–138.
  7. News: 1884-06-15. Gov. Cleveland and the Bills. 4. The Sun. 2023-11-30.
  8. Web site: Crotona Park: History. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. June 23, 2014. March 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150315003333/http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/crotona-park/history. live.
  9. Book: Twomey, Bill. South Bronx. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. 2002. 978-1-4396-2839-3. Images of America. August 18, 2019. 137. May 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220509134445/https://books.google.com/books?id=xRAPx90LyxMC&pg=PT137. live.
  10. Web site: Crotona Park Highlights – Bathgate Playground. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. August 18, 2019. July 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190717173432/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/crotona-park/highlights/11151. live.
  11. Book: Marsh, L.R.. Report to the New York Legislature of the Commission to Select and Locate Lands for Public Parks in the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards of the City of New York, and in the Vicinity Thereof: According to the Provisions of the Act of the Legislature of the State of New York, Chapter 253, Passed April 19, 1883. M. B. Brown, printer. 1884. 209.
  12. Web site: Tremont Park Highlights. June 26, 1939. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. August 18, 2019. March 4, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140304132326/http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tremontpark/history. live.
  13. Web site: Crotona Park Highlights – Indian Lake and Boathouse. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. August 19, 2019. August 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190819010239/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/crotona-park/highlights/11612. live.
  14. News: Crotona Park Field Fight to Go Higher; Property Owners in Neighborhood Resolved to Resist School Athletics There.. January 21, 1917. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170012/https://www.nytimes.com/1917/01/21/archives/crotona-park-field-fight-to-go-higher-property-owners-in.html. live.
  15. News: Armory Seeks a Site in Crotona Park; Bill Now Before the Assembly Discloses Another Park Grab Plan. April 21, 1909. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170011/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/04/21/archives/armory-seeks-a-site-in-crotona-park-bill-now-before-the-assembly.html. live.
  16. News: Plan a Big Fight at Armory Hearing; Petition with Many Signatures Will Be Handed to the Mayor Denouncing Park Grab. May 3, 1909. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170014/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/05/03/archives/plan-a-big-fight-at-armory-hearing-petition-with-many-signatures.html. live.
  17. News: Assembly for Crotona Site; Unanimously Passes Stein Bill for Erection of Armory in Park.. April 22, 1909. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170011/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/04/22/archives/assembly-for-crotona-site-unanimously-passes-stein-bill-for.html. live.
  18. News: Senate Passes Armory Bill; Assembly Measure for Crotona Park Invasion Put Through.. April 24, 1909. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170017/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/04/24/archives/senate-passes-armory-bill-assembly-measure-for-crotona-park.html. live.
  19. News: The Mayor Kills Crotona Park Grab; Vetoes the Bill Conveying Children's Playground for an Armory Site. May 8, 1909. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170012/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/05/08/archives/the-mayor-kills-crotona-park-grab-vetoes-the-bill-conveying.html. live.
  20. News: More City Tennis Courts; 60 New Ones Will Be Available with the Coming of Spring.. January 24, 1915. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170012/https://www.nytimes.com/1915/01/24/archives/more-city-tennis-courts-60-new-ones-will-be-available-with-the.html. live.
  21. News: Fight to Abolish Park Grand Stand; Bronx Property Owners Protest Against a School Athletic Field in Crotona Park. March 22, 1911. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170011/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/03/22/archives/fight-to-abolish-park-grand-stand-bronx-property-owners-protest.html. live.
  22. News: Crotona Field Nuisance; Residents Want Playground Moved Further Into Park.. May 9, 1914. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170014/https://www.nytimes.com/1914/05/09/archives/crotona-field-nuisance-residents-want-playground-moved-further-into.html. live.
  23. News: P.S. Athletic Field in Bronx Attacked; On Park Land, Property Owners Say, and the Grand Stand a Nuisance. March 19, 1916. The New York Times. August 18, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331. August 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170012/https://www.nytimes.com/1916/03/19/archives/ps-athletic-field-in-bronx-attacked-on-park-land-property-owners.html. live.
  24. 456.
  25. 717.
  26. News: July 23, 1934. 23 Bathing Pools Planned by Moses; Nine to Be Begun in a Month to Meet Shortage of Facilities Caused by Pollution. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. August 9, 2019. 0362-4331. August 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190809035319/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/23/archives/23-bathing-pools-planned-by-moses-nine-to-be-begun-in-a-month-to.html. live.
  27. Public Swimming Facilities in New York City.. 1934-07-23. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. 2021-01-06. 3 (PDF p. 30). January 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210108104839/http://nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/41861934_press_releases_part1.pdf. live.
  28. News: City to Construct 9 Pools To Provide Safe Swimming. July 23, 1934. New York Daily News. August 18, 2019. 8. newspapers.com. May 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220509134446/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35042789/city-to-construct-9-pools-to-provide/. live.
  29. Web site: History of Parks' Swimming Pools . New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . 2021-01-15 . January 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117002610/https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/pools . live .
  30. News: Shattuck. Kathryn. 2006-08-14. Big Chill of '36: Show Celebrates Giant Depression-Era Pools That Cool New York. en-US. The New York Times. limited. live. 2021-01-08. 0362-4331. January 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110031731/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/arts/design/big-chill-of-36-show-celebrates-giant-depressionera-pools-that.html.
  31. News: Maps New Crotona Park; Department to Enlarge Athletic.

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