Noble Playground in the Van Nest section of the Bronx, August 2015. “At East 177th Street and Noble Avenue the 3.6 acre area contains a children's playground and a separate regulation baseball diamond with concrete bleachers accommodating 150 spectators. The children's area is divided into two parts separated by a high, natural rock outcrop. One part contains a children's playground with combination wading pool and volley ball court, kindergarten apparatus, a large shaded sandpit, slides, swings, jungle gym and a brick comfort station. The other part is paved and will be used as a combination roller skating and games area. The opening of [this area] designed by the Park Department and built by the Work Projects Administration makes a total of 306 new or reconstructed playgrounds completed by the Park Department since 1934.”[1]

“In the early 1950s, the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway left its mark on the area. The expressway, a six-lane highway across the South Bronx, was one of Robert Moses's most controversial undertakings. Hundreds of apartment buildings and many one- and two-family houses were demolished to make way for the new roadway, forcing thousands of Bronx residents to seek new homes. Among the casualties was Noble Playground; it closed in September 1951. Fortunately, the loss of recreational space was only temporary. The playground was reconstructed, and it reopened on October 7, 1954, providing a comfort station, a game area, and a ballfield with bleachers for the community. In 1998, Mayor Giuliani funded a $25,000 renovation of the comfort station.”[2]

References:

1. NYC Parks Dept press release of December 4, 1939.
2. Noble Playground, NY City Department of Parks website.

The New Deal in NYC 1932-1943 | Frank da Cruz | fdc@columbia.edu