Van Nest Park Improvements – Bronx NY

Description

Researcher Frank da Cruz explains why this playground almost certainly benefited from New Deal programs. As the New York City Department of Parks website states, “In August of 1913, the City of New York acquired the parcel of land, bounded by White Plains Road, Unionport Road, and Mead Street, on which [a World War I monument] now sits. In April of 1922 the land was placed under Parks jurisdiction. By 1934, the triangular area around the monument contained Norway maple trees and a flagpole, all of which have subsequently been removed. In addition to the monument in honor of fallen soldiers, the park also contains playground equipment, installed after a parcel of land was added in 1938 to expand the park for the Van Nest community. Tributes to fallen soldiers of World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars were added to the facade of the monument.“

Based on his reasoning here, da Cruz concludes that: “From this text we know that work was done on this park by the Parks Department between 1934 and 1938, and therefore New Deal design, labor, and/or funding were involved.”