Crotona Park

Early history ) at the north-west corner of the park, which is now Walter Gladwin Park. This map also predates the construction of Claremont Parkway. 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. However, in 1877, the city declined to act upon his plan. 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. There were objections to the system, which would apparently be too far from Manhattan, in addition to precluding development on the parks' sites. 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). In June 1884, Governor Grover Cleveland signed the New Parks Act into law, authorizing the creation of the park system. 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. 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. Due to rapid urbanization, Bathgate Farm quickly became one of the few remaining greenspaces in the Bronx. The northernmost section of Crotona Park was known as Old Borough Hall Park due to the presence of Bronx Borough Hall in the park. The park did not receive many improvements until the 20th century. In addition, landscaping work was performed, and a new grandstand for concerts and ball games was erected. A bill was introduced in the Assembly in 1909, which would install a New York National Guard armory in Crotona Park. The bill was heavily denounced by the public, and though both the Assembly and Senate passed the bill, mayor George B. McClellan Jr. vetoed it. Crotona Park was expanded via land acquisition in 1907 and 1911, A concrete wall around the lake's perimeter, as well as lamps and paths, were installed in 1914. They requested that the field be moved further within Crotona Park. In 1916, several local landowners filed a lawsuit, calling the athletic field and bandstand "nuisances" that were not conducive to park operation. Some of these landowners alleged that they could not sell their property. 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. He devised a list of 23 pools around the city, including one at Crotona Park. 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. Eleven of these pools were to be designed concurrently and open in 1936. Moses, along with the 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 length, underwater lighting, heating, and filtration, all constructed using inexpensive materials. To fit the requirement for efficiency and low-cost construction, 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. 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. Construction for some of the 11 pools began that October. Of these, Crotona Park was the only location in the Bronx where a WPA pool would be constructed. A wading pool had opened to the north of the future bathhouse site by mid-1935. By mid-1936, ten of the eleven WPA-funded pools were completed and were being opened at a rate of one per week. It opened on July 25, 1936, in front of a crowd of five thousand; according to The New York Times, about 10,000 would-be participants had to be refused entry. In 1938, further improvements were announced for the 11 locations that had received new pools. About $2.87 million (equal to around $ million in ) was allocated to the renovation of Crotona Park, including the sidewalks on the surrounding streets. NYC Parks started rebuilding the baseball and softball fields and the existing athletic field. Sometime in the 1940s, a brick boathouse was built along the lake to replace a previous wooden structure that had burned down. By the 1950s, Crotona Park had become the setting for several high-profile crimes, as gangs began to develop in the surrounding neighborhoods. a series of muggings at the park in 1954; the beating of a teacher in 1958; and the fatal stabbing of a teenager in 1965. Additionally, in July 1960, a six-year-old boy drowned in the Crotona Play Center's swimming pool. To deter crime, and especially in response to a murder in a poorly lit playground in Manhattan, Robert F. Wagner Jr. proposed replacing the lighting in Crotona Park and other city parks. The project was completed by 1963. Restoration work in the Crotona Play Center was announced in 1965 as part of Wagner's plan to restore parks, playgrounds, and libraries around the city. Ultimately, these improvements did not occur, and many benches and water fountains were damaged without being replaced. In early 1971, vandals stole multiple electric and plumbing fixtures from the play center, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. To deter future crimes of similar magnitude, the bath house's and filter house's windows were filled in. Nevertheless, the play center remained popular. Around this time, surrounding portions of the South Bronx were being decimated by fire and crime. One particularly egregious example was Charlotte Street, directly southeast of Crotona Park, which by the late 1970s saw the demolition of almost every building along its three-block length. Restoration to present day 1970s and 1980s By the 1970s, Crotona Park and other city parks were in poor condition following the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. NYC Parks commenced a project to restore the pools in several parks in 1977, including at Crotona Park, for whose restoration the agency set aside an estimated $5.8 million. In 1982, the NYC Parks budget increased greatly, enabling the agency to carry out $76 million worth of restoration projects by year's end; among these projects was the restoration of the Crotona Park pool. Work had begun by early 1983, and the complex was closed for two summer seasons while construction was ongoing. The play center reopened on August 2, 1984. During this era, other improvements were made to the park, including the restoration of the lake and boathouse, replacement of benches, and repaving of paths. In 1983, a volunteer ranger program was created to help maintain Crotona Park and other city parks. Some $500,000 in funding was provided by the federal government toward the rangers program. and $1.8 million from other sources. By the turn of the century, crimes such as sexual assaults had decreased in parks citywide due to increased security. In 1999, the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund allocated $1.1 million to the restoration of five city parks including Crotona Park, to be matched by funds from the city. In 2009, the lake was restored and a new performance amphitheater was opened. A rehabilitation of the nature center was approved in 2014, NYC Parks also released a master plan for Crotona and Tremont Parks in June 2015. The plan called for the construction of a cafe, dog run, and skate park in Crotona Park, as well as the construction of connections between the parks. The boathouse was restored in 2016. A renovation of the entrance to the Crotona Play Area was announced at that time, and the lanterns atop the main entrance towers were restored in 2020. The next year, NYC Parks proposed reconstructing the roof of the Crotona Park bathhouse. == Attractions and facilities ==

Crotona Park is bounded by Crotona Park West (also known as Fulton Avenue), Crotona Park North, Crotona Park East, and Crotona Park South (a continuation of St. Paul's Place). It is divided into four sections of unequal size by Claremont Parkway and Crotona Avenue. The park serves the neighborhoods of Claremont to the west, Belmont and Tremont to the north, West Farms to the northeast, Crotona Park East to the southeast, and Morrisania to the southwest. Due to its central location between several different neighborhoods, Crotona Park is sometimes known as the "Central Park of the South Bronx". Crotona Park also contains connections to Hylan Park and Crotona Parkway at the northeast corner and Walter Gladwin Park near the northwest corner, though connections to all three are poor. Crotona Park contains 28 species of trees, as well as the Crotona Pool, the largest in the Bronx. Recreational facilities Playgrounds Crotona Park contains twelve playgrounds: • Bathgate Playground, at the intersection of Fulton Avenue and 173rd Street, in the park's northwest section. It is named for the Bathgate family. • Clinton Playground, on Crotona Park South between Clinton and Prospect Avenues, in the park's southwest section. It is named for governor DeWitt Clinton. • Hill & Dale Playground, at the intersection of Crotona Park East and 173rd Street, in the park's eastern section. • Playground of the Stars, at Fulton Avenue between St. Pauls Place and 171st Street, in the park's southwest section. It is named after four constellations engraved near the park's spray fountain: Cetus, Cygnus, Ursa Major, and Canis Major. • Playground 1, at the intersection of Crotona Park North and Crotona Avenue. Outdoors, there are numerous basketball courts, handball courts, soccer fields, and baseball fields scattered throughout the park. The southern shore of Crotona Park's pond contains a baseball field, two basketball courts, and four handball courts. The northeast corner of the park contains another two basketball courts, eight handball courts, and a soccer field. The northern shore of the pond contains two baseball fields and a basketball court, In total, there are six baseball fields, seven basketball courts, one soccer field, twenty tennis courts, and fourteen handball courts. The outdoor fields are free for use by the general public, but some indoor activities require a membership. Walter Gladwin Park Walter Gladwin Park is a park just north of Crotona Park's northwestern section, separated from it by the Cross Bronx Expressway. It is named after Walter H. Gladwin (1902–1988), who was the first Black person elected to a Bronx government office. This area has been called Tremont Park, Highland Park and Old Borough Hall Park at various times; before that, it was part of Crotona Park. The park is bounded by Tremont Avenue to the north, Arthur Avenue to the east, 175th Street to the south, and Third Avenue to the west. The park's most significant features are the steps to the former Bronx Borough Hall site and the circular paths around a former fountain site. The Borough Hall building, constructed in 1897, was "an ornate Italianate edifice on a prominent ridge in the park's northwestern corner to serve as the area's seat of governmental power". The stone staircase was built two years later. When the Bronx County Courthouse was built in 1931, the borough offices moved to 161st Street and the old borough hall was repurposed for municipal office space. The building was demolished in 1969. The project is one of seven chosen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to receive grants from their Mass Timber Studio program supporting environmentally friendly mass timber construction. Geographical features Crotona Park is on a high point in the Bronx. According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, on clear days, one can see the Hudson River Palisades to the west and the Brooklyn Bridge to the south from certain points in the park. According to NYC Parks, the name supposedly comes from 19th-century youths who lived in the area and "envisioned Weckguasgeeck Indians sitting around the lake on the ledge of the rock surrounding their chief, who would be smoking the legendary peace pipe with newly-arrived Europeans seeking land to settle". An amphitheater is at the southern shore of the lake, adjacent to a stone bridge that spans an inlet at the lake's extreme south end. The lake is inhabited by ducks, turtles, and fish. The surrounding area contains numerous native floral species including tulip, black cherry, hickory, sassafras, and sweetgum. or the 1940s, Crotona Play Center Crotona Play Center, in Crotona Park's northwestern quadrant, is the only swimming pool complex built by the Works Progress Administration in the Bronx. The complex was designed by Embury and Clarke with Herbert D. Magoon, whose plan combines Art Moderne and Modern Classical elements. The primary buildings are decorated with sculptures by Frederick Roth, including ibis-topped pilasters on the bathhouse and bas-reliefs in the sitting niches which are adjacent to the pool. On June 26, 2007, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the interior and exterior of the Crotona Play Center as official city landmarks. Additionally, the play center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 2015. Bathhouse The main entrance contains a stair, spanned by a very large arched brick gateway overlooked by towers with glass-block skylights. The stairway contains brick sidewalls. At the top of the stair is a brick courtyard which is enclosed by a two-story structure with a second story balcony. To the east of the courtyard is a rectangular building with two nearly identical pavilions to the north and south. The longer side is on a west–east axis (i.e. parallel to 173rd Street), while the shorter side is on a north–south axis (i.e. parallel to Fulton Avenue). The building contains a brick facade with semicircular-patterned and cast stone details. The western facades of both pavilions contain brick-arched window openings at ground level; the north pavilion has a balconet on the second floor, though the south pavilion has a full-height opening. The eastern facade is subdivided into six bays. To the east of the locker rooms are toilets and showers for each gender. These facilities were arranged so that both the men's and women's shower rooms contained an exit to the southern facade at the extreme eastern end of the building. The northern facade of the bathhouse's eastern end also contains entrances to a girls' bathroom, a mothers' room, and a director's office. The southern facade of that part of the building includes a boys' bathroom, adjacent to the entrance to the men's shower room. To the south of the main pool was a semicircular diving pool, which since 2014 contains spray fountains. A ramp, underneath the overpass between the brick first-aid house and the Play Center's courthouse, provides entrance to the pool from Fulton Avenue to the west. Concrete bleachers are along the western border of the pool area, adjoining a retaining wall that separates the pool area from Fulton Avenue, and extend southward along the round edge of the diving pool area. The eastern side of the pool area contains twelve niches with benches, set into the retaining wall on that side. The former wading pool area, now part of Bathgate Playground, is north of the bathhouse. It is surrounded by a retaining wall. The pool area, once semicircular before being converted into a hexagonal shape in the 1980s, was filled in by 1996. The site contains playground equipment such as swings and benches. ==Notable events==

, Autumn, Crotona Park, Bronx (1922–1925)|alt=|left From 1996 to 2012, the park hosted the EmblemHealth Bronx Open, an International Tennis Federation women's tennis tournament with a $100,000 purse which featured players in the top 100, who used the tournament as a "tune-up" for the US Open which begins the following week. The Bronx Open also hosted the United States Tennis Association's National Junior Doubles championship for boys and girls age 14–16, an event which continued after the demise of the ITF event. Proceeds from the tournament benefited New York Junior Tennis and Learning. The Bronx Open was revived in 2019 as a WTA International tournament, held at the park and hosted by New York Junior Tennis and Learning. On May 23, 2024, Donald Trump held a rally in Crotona Park for his 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. == In popular culture ==

Crotona Park is depicted in Abraham A. Manievich's "Autumn, Crotona Park, Bronx" ( 1922–1925), owned by the National Art Museum of Ukraine, and was also referenced in Clifford Odets's play Waiting for Lefty (1935). ==See also==