Jackie Robinson Park (formerly Colonial Park) is a public park in the Hamilton Heights and Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The approximately 12.77-acre (5.17 ha) park is bounded by Bradhurst Avenue to the east, 155th Street to the north, Edgecombe Avenue to the west, and 145th Street to the south. The park has baseball fields, basketball courts, restrooms, and a bandshell, which are arranged around the park's steep terrain. It also includes the Jackie Robinson Play Center, which consists of a recreation center and a pool. Jackie Robinson Park is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The land for the park was acquired from 1894 to 1899 and the first section opened in 1911 as Colonial Park. Aymar Embury II designed the pool, which was constructed from 1935 to 1936 as part of a Works Progress Administration project. During the mid-20th century, the park received most of its other recreational facilities. The park was renamed after baseball player Jackie Robinson in 1978. The pool was extensively refurbished from 1978 to 1980. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the park, as well as the lobby of the Jackie Robinson Play Center, as city landmarks in 2007.
Description Jackie Robinson Park is bounded by 145th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the west, 155th Street and the 155th Street Viaduct to the north, and Bradhurst Avenue to the east. It covers 12.77 acres (5.17 ha), although the park is significantly narrower along its west–east axis relative to its width. Jackie Robinson Park's site encompasses steep terrain, with the Edgecombe Avenue portion being significantly higher than the Bradhurst Avenue portion. North of 155th Street, the cliff within Jackie Robinson Park becomes Coogan's Bluff, which is part of Highbridge Park; the Polo Grounds baseball stadium was formerly below the cliff. Most of the facilities and entrances are along Bradhurst Avenue, although there are also stairs leading from Edgecombe Avenue's intersections with 145th, 150th and 155th Streets. Consequently, Jackie Robinson Park is more popular among residents of Central Harlem to the east than among residents of Hamilton Heights to the west. Jackie Robinson Park is one of four "Historic Harlem Parks", a group of parks by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) that are characterized by their steep terrain. The other parks in the grouping are St. Nicholas Park and Morningside Park to the south, and Marcus Garvey Park to the southeast.
Recreational facilities
Jackie Robinson Park contains two playgrounds along the Bradhurst Avenue end, both with restrooms. The playgrounds are named after their respective cross streets, spelled out and in Roman numerals. Playground One Forty Nine CIL is at 149th Street, while Playground One Fifty Two CLII is between 152nd and 153rd Streets. The playground at 152nd Street was previously the park's wading pool. There is also a recreational area along Bradhurst Avenue between the two playgrounds. This consists of two baseball fields at 150th Street, one basketball court south of 150th Street, and four handball courts at 151st Street. The sporting fields and playgrounds were built in 1936, as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program, and have been modified since then. The Jackie Robinson Pool is in the southernmost section of the park, just north of 146th Street. It consists of the main pool as well as a smaller water play area to the north. The deck surrounding the pool area is narrow because of the topography and width of the park. The topography constraints also resulted in an irregular shape for the pool area. The main pool measures 82 by 236 feet (25 by 72 m), with a depth of 3.5 feet (1.1 m). The pool could fit 4,090 bathers simultaneously and has a non-standard dimension compared to other WPA pools in the city. It is mostly rectangular, but its southern end is rounded as in a semicircle. The former diving pool to the north was pentagonal in layout, resembling a rectangle with the northwestern corner being truncated. It was converted into a children's play area with sprinklers and other water features. A set of bleachers runs along the western retaining wall of the main pool and the northern retaining wall of the original diving pool. South of the pool area is a service entrance with a circular plaza paved in hexagonal tiles.
Recreation center
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