Thomas Jefferson Park

July 12, 1902 - present

Thomas Jefferson Park opened on July 12, 1902 to provide for the children of East Harlem’s “Little Italy.” Formerly a farm, when it initially opened, the park was home to the first “running track for girls,” which was one of the park's many recreational facilities. Others included a gymnasium, a learning farm where children could learn horticultural skills, and a playground. In 1936, eleven swimming pools were added to the park financed by the Federal Works Progress Administration to provide appropriate recreation for East Harlem’s working-class residents. However, Robert Moses, then commissioner of New York City Parks and Recreation, allegedly worked to keep Black residents from using the pools by hiring predominantly white lifeguards and “keeping the water too cold.” This led to East Harlem’s Black and Hispanic residents using the pool located at Colonial Park (now Jackie Robinson Park). Interestingly, despite being named after Thomas Jefferson, the park features no monument or sculpture of Jefferson.

Children Learning Farm in Thomas Jefferson Park
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Details

Category
Playground
Audience
All Ages
Corporate Body
New York City Board of Aldermen
Tags
athletics, ItalianAmerican, WPA, outdooreducation, RobertMoses, federalworksprogressadministration

Location

  • Thomas Jefferson Park, 2180 1st Ave., New York, NY 10029, USA
    ? - ?

Archival Collections

  • c. 1933 - 1960
    at New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
    Sites of Teaching & Learning 2

References

  1. “Thomas Jefferson Park.” Thomas Jefferson Park : NYC Parks. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/thomas-jefferson-park.
  2. Gutman, Marta. "Race, place, and play: Robert Moses and the WPA swimming pools in New York City." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 67, no. 4 (2008): 532-561.
  3. Noonan, Theresa C. “Thomas Jefferson Play Center - New York City.” NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, July 24, 2007.