Washington Park

E 183 St. , Bronx, NY

This park is bound Washington and Park Avenues and East 183rd and East 184th Streets, in the Tremont section of the Bronx. In the 1930’s Washington Avenue was an impressive thoroughfare lined with mansions, theaters, and churches. It was the street of choice for neighborhood parades. But the “flight to the suburbs” in the 1950’s and the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway in 1964 hastened the decline of the neighborhood. Many fine buildings were demolished. Over the last twenty years, local residents began their own urban renewal and, with the help of the City, reversed the downturn.

The City assigned a section of this park bordering East 183rd Street to Parks on January 16, 1997. The adjacent lot bordering East 184th Street was assigned on July 15, 1997. Commissioner Stern named Washington Park on May 18, 1998 and renovations began in May 2001. They included the construction of a playground designed for pre-teens, a retaining wall to stabilize the site’s perimeter, and a concrete stage area. The park now boasts a basketball court with color sealer coating and World’s Fair benches. Plantings, a flagpole with a yardarm, fencing, a sundial, and swings were also added. There is substantial animal art, including coyote, rabbit, and mountain lion pictures with accompanying footprints in the concrete. The spray showers have a frog theme.