Vinmont Veteran Park
| Vinmont Veteran Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Playground |
| Location | Bronx, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°54′08″N73°54′18″W/ 40.9023°N 73.9050°W |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares) |
| Owned by | New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |
Vinmont Veteran Parkis a 3.5-acre (1.4-hectare) park and playground in theRiverdalesection ofThe Bronx.It includes bathrooms, a playground, a woodland area and the Sid Augarten baseball field. The site was acquired byNew York Cityin 1945 and 1947 and opened as a park in 1951. Originally named thePS 81 Playgroundafter a neighboring public school it was renamed in 1986 in honor of military veterans in the Vinmont neighborhood.
Description[edit]
The park covers an area of 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares) in theRiverdaleneighborhood ofThe Bronxin New York City. It includes bathrooms and a playground with a spray shower and iswheelchair-accessible.The park incorporates the Sid Augarten baseball field.[1]The park includes a woodland area with native trees, primarily red and whiteoak,black cherry,andsweetgum.Other species includeNorway maple,black locust,American elm,pignut hickory,andredtwig dogwood.[2]The park is adjacent to Bronx Public School 81 and bordered by Riverdale and Mosholu avenues and West 254th and 256th streets.[3][1]
History[edit]
The land for the park was acquired byNew York Cityin 1945 and 1947 viacondemnation.The park opened on September 26, 1951. Originally namedPS 81 Playgroundafter the neighboring school, it was renamed in November 1986. The park was renovated in 1992 to add new fencing, benches, picnic tables, and water fountains. Landscaping was also done, and the adjacent Sid Augarten Field received a new backstop at this time.[1]Another renovation project in 2002 improved the children's play and swing units, rebuilt the spray shower, and added new plantings.[4]The ball field received further improvements in 2013.[5]
Namesakes[edit]
The park is named after the Vinmont neighborhood and honors local military veterans.[3]The Vinmont neighborhood itself is named afterRobert Weinberg,an employee of theNew York City Department of Parksin the 1930s.[1][6]Weinberg was acity plannerwhose work includedurban parksandlandscape architecture;he was the principal architect of the Vinmont Houses project in Riverdale.[1][7]The nameVinmontis the French translation of Weinberg, which is German forWine Mountain.[1]
The ball field adjacent to the park honors Sid Augarten, who was the commissioner of the North Riverdale Baseball League, which still plays at this location.[1]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefg"NYC Parks: Vinmont Veteran Park".nycgovparks.org.Retrieved2020-08-26.
- ^Natural Area Mapping and Inventory of Vinmont Veteran Park: 2001 Survey(PDF).City of New York Parks & Recreation. 2001. p. 2.
- ^ab2020 Parks Resource Guide(PDF).Bronx Community Board 8 Parks & Recreation Committee. 2020.
- ^"Vinmont Veteran Park News - PARKS TOASTS COMPLETION OF" WINE MOUNTAIN ": NYC Parks".nycgovparks.org.Retrieved2020-08-26.
- ^"Vinmont Veteran Park News - Parks Cuts The Ribbon At Sid Augarten Ballfield: NYC Parks".nycgovparks.org.Retrieved2020-08-26.
- ^"Weinberg, Robert C. (Robert Charles), 1901-1974 - Social Networks and Archival Context".snaccooperative.org.Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2019.Retrieved2020-08-26.
- ^"Robert Weinberg, Regional Planner".The New York Times.1974-01-26.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-08-26.
