Orchard Beach – Bronx NY

The North wing of the bathhouse

The lower level used to be full of concession booths. Now all of them are closed and the vendors are gathered in right center selling from stands and carts.

Less than half of the beach at Orchard Beach

It curves around Pelham Bay in horseshoe shape, made entirely by WPA labor. Before 1936 there was only a small beach here, now the beach is about a mile from end to end.

High Island

View of the island with its WCBS transmitter, seen from Orchard Beach. And in the background on the horizon: Hart Island, site of New York City's Potter's Field.

City Island, seen from Orchard Beach

To the right, City Island Bridge that connects to mainland Bronx; to the left, the bridge to High Island, and behind it, Hart Island.

The north part of Orchard beach as seen from the south part.

Parkland at Orchard Beach.

The boardwalk at Orchard Beach

The spooky, deserted, decaying north wing of the Orchard Beach bathhouse

The concessions, terraces, and plaza used to be crammed with people before the building was closed. “The fabled Orchard Beach bathhouse, victim to years of salt water in the air and benign neglect, is crumbling. Now officials are weighing whether to replace it. The storied Depression-era building that welcomes crowds to Orchard Beach is now being studied to determine if its crumbling facade, as well as its often off-limits 90,000 square foot interior, should be repaired or replaced with a new green building, Parks Department officials said ... Shortly after it opened in the 1930s and 1940s, the building was home to a full service restaurant, changing facilities, locker rooms, and other amenities.” (Bronx Times, June 27, 2012).

The plaza on the upper level that overlooks the terrazzo

It once had had an elegant restaurant underneath it, behind the yellowish shutters.

Orchard Beach grounds

Orchard Beach bathhouse

Orchard Beach parking lot

The legendary Orchard Beach parking lot built by the WPA in 1934-36, accommodating somewhere between 3500 and 7000 cars. The panorama shot taken May 14, 2017, barely does it justice (hint: maximize your browser and click the Enlarge button above; also click the image at left to see the parking lot from space; it's the big grey area behind the beach). For four generations now, this parking lot has been the spot where everybody in Bronx came to learn how to drive, especially in off-season when it's mostly empty as in this photo. Today when you enter the lot, you are greeted by a sign saying something to the effect of “Driving instruction not permitted.”-- Frank da Cruz

Orchard Beach information sign in Spanish for people entering from the parking lot

In 2009, 31.9% of the Bronx population were immigrants, and the Orchard Beach crowds reflect this diversity. Salsa music dominates, often with live orchestras playing. It's not for nothing that the Bronx is known as El Condado de la Salsa. -- Frank da Cruz

Orchard Beach basketball courts

The WPA built 32 tennis courts here, which were later converted for basketball, handball, and volleyball in keeping with the preferences of today's Bronx population.

Northern promenade at Orchard Beach

This northern part of Orchard Beach was Hunters Island before the WPA connected it with the Bronx mainland. This photo shows northern promenade at Orchard Beach, with handball courts visible in the background, and a concrete WPA drinking fountain at left.

This is the north end of the big mile-long horshoe

The WPA put this beach here. Prior to 1934 there were only some scattered islands. Good job too; the beach is still here more than 80 years later. -- Frank da Cruz

WPA-built snack bar at the north end of Orchard Beach

Telltale brick and concrete construction and rounded corners.

The standard classic WPA concrete water fountain.

There are many of these at Orchard Beach and also in hundreds of parks and playgrounds all over New York City.

The majestic sweep of the beach with the promenade to the left

Researcher Frank da Cruz suspects that the benches we see today were made by the WPA. He notes that the WPA made this type of bench at Orchard Beach (concrete slates with wooden slats) and elsewhere. He remarks that "the bench shown here definitely exhibits the same 'salt-spray rot' as bathhouse so is likely the same age. Of course the wooden slats in all Parks Department benches are replaced periodically, but the concrete tends to stay put." Da Cruz also points out that "the wooded area to the north was formerly Hunters Island and Twin Islands, all fused into the Bronx mainland by the WPA."

WPA comfort station at the north end of Orchard Beach

Researcher Frank da Cruz explains that this comfort station is designed "in Classic Modern style with rounded corners on the front but square ones in back (like the snack bar), and with unusual window shapes." He also points out "[a]nother concrete WPA drinking fountain stands in the foreground."

Close-up of of the WPA comfort station at the north end of Orchard Beach

Researcher Frank da Cruz notes that "Everything appears to be original except the gutters"

View of the very edge of Orchard Beach's vast acreage of meadows, forests, and wilderness trails

Orchard Beach meadows and forest

View from the part of Orchard Beach that was once Hunter Island

Looking east across a small bay towards what used to be Twin Island an Two Trees Island, all joined together by the WPA in 1934-36. These areas are now full of nature trails.

The Orchard Beach Entrance

The Orchard Beach entrance, seen from the Park Drive oval on Orchard Beach Lagoon.

Approaching Orchard Beach from the bus depot

Approaching the Orchard Beach main entrance from the bus depot

Orchard Beach entrance staircase

with the "L" of the north wing of bathhouse, showing the blue terra-cotta tile motif used throughout the building.

A corner of the bathhouse peeping up through the foliage

The side of the south bathhouse L as seen from the entrance plaza

Orchard Beach Pavillion in 1937

The pavilion at Orchard Beach in the Bronx in 1937, one year after it opened. The imposing complex and the half-mile-long beach it served were among the projects of Robert Moses.

South Bathhouse Wing, Orchard Beach

The south bathhouse wing, deserted and fenced off, showing the same deterioration as the north wing.

Orchard Beach Bathhouse North Wing

“The Orchard Beach pavilion, with its soaring square pillars and glazed terra-cotta frieze, was more a stage set than a functional building. Though a 500-seat cafeteria occupied the lower level, the bulk of the building is for show, a grand backdrop that separates the vast parking area from the beach ... Since 2009, when chunks of concrete started to fall from the facade, the parks department has kept the public away from the bathhouse, encircling it with a chain-link fence.” (NY Times, April 4, 2014).

Orchard Beach Rose Compass

Orchard Beach Service Buildings

Small service buildings south of the bathhouse. The left one looks like a concession stand, the right one maybe a tool shed. Nothing fancy, to be sure, but with a distinct 1930s Art Moderne look.

Orchard Beach Comfort Station

The bathhouse comfort station in a relatively advanced state of disrepair. Maybe the this was a shower bath, it's hard to tell.

Orchard Beach

This photo attempts (without total success) to capture the entire horseshoe. You can see the beach on the far end if you click on the photo and maximize your browser, or just go on to the next photo. The north half of the beachhouse is at left.