The Williamsbridge Oval is a park located in Norwood,

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

The Williamsbridge Oval Park was built on the site of the

Williamsbridge Reservoir Williamsbridge Reservoir was a natural lake (despite its name) measuring just south of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York. Specifically the body of water was located at 208th Street and Bainbridge Avenue. It was shaped like a saucer and ...

after the reservoir was drained and the land transferred to the Parks Department in 1934. The park was funded, designed, and built by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

under the supervision of the

New York City Parks Department The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...

and was officially opened on September 11, 1937.

Attractions

Williamsbridge Oval has multiple playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, plus an athletic field, a 400m 4-lane running track, a dog run, playground spray showers, ornamental flower beds and walking paths shaded by trees. The original 1930s recreation center was reopened in 2013 after extensive renovations. The park hosts community and NYC Parks sponsored events all year round.

In popular culture

* In Penny Marshall's film ''

Awakenings ''Awakenings'' is a 1990 American drama film directed by Penny Marshall. It is written by Steven Zaillian, who based his screenplay on Oliver Sacks's 1973 memoir '' Awakenings''. It tells the story of neurologist Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Robin Willia ...

'' (1990), Robin Williams' and Robert De Niro's characters are filmed taking a walk through the Williamsbridge Oval park.

Image gallery

Williamsbridge Oval Winter February 2016.jpg, A winter snowfall in Williamsbridge Oval Park Williamsbridge Oval Park IMG 2174 HLG.png, Williamsbridge Oval Park Recreation Center

References

External links

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Williamsbridge Oval Park Page

New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center Page

Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval

Parks in the Bronx Urban public parks Norwood, Bronx Works Progress Administration in New York City Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City National Register of Historic Places in the Bronx 1937 establishments in New York City Tennis venues in New York City American football venues in New York City {{NYC-stub