Riverside Park at 72nd Street,
lower level: a 400-meter cinder running track with concrete bleachers,
little changed from when it was first built in 1937. You can see the
Hudson River through the trees, and beyond it, New Jersey.
References:
- Interesting Places in the
Parks of New York City, undated document in the October section of the
1937 Parks Department press release archive: “ WEST SIDE IMPROVEMENT -
The plan for the West Side Improvement along Riverside Drive from 72nd
Street to Dyckman Street includes a wide variety of facilities for active
recreation .... A miniature Randall's
Island track and field layout will be a feature.“ Like Randall's
Island stadium, this is a track with bleachers.
- NY City Department of Parks
press release of May 26, 1939: “annual athletic meet for boys and
girls of Park Department playgrounds in the Borough of Manhattan will take
place at 74th Street and Riverside Drive ... which will include 18 track
and field events...”
- New Deal Assistance in
NYC Parks Department Projects, 1934-43.