Chief Dennis L. Devlin Park

What was here before?

This park is in Unionport, which in the early 1900s was one of the Westchester towns that became part of the Bronx. Unlike the cultivated estates of Morrisania and West Farms, Unionport was characterized by dirt roads, wooden sidewalks, frame houses with hitching posts, and taverns.

By 1924, a group of apartment buildings and two-story shops, including a market, shoe repair business, and barber were located on this site. In 1948, construction started on the Cross-Bronx Expressway, a six-lane highway across the South Bronx. Completed in 1963, it was one of Robert Moses’s most controversial undertakings. Hundreds of apartment buildings, including those on this parcel, and many one- and two-family houses were demolished to make way for the new thoroughfare, forcing thousands of Bronx residents to seek new homes. The neighborhood took on a new character as high-rise housing projects replaced the smaller buildings and local streets became exit ramps for the highway.

How did this site become a playground?

During the construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, a series of grassy plots were slated for park use alongside the new roadway. In 1946, the Board of Estimate transferred control of these parcels to Parks, which immediately began plans for construction. For decades, this large triangle was a paved sitting area bordered by mature London plane trees and benches.

In 1996, Parks named the property Olmstead Triangle after the adjacent Olmstead Avenue. Originally called Avenue D, the street name was officially changed in 1915 to honor some of the town’s early settlers. In 2004 the park was named after Chief Dennis L. Devlin.

As of 2022, the park is scheduled for an upcoming renovation.

Who is this park named for?

This park honors Chief Dennis L. Devlin, who died in the World Trade Center September 11‚ 2001. Devlin was an active member of his Washingtonville‚ NY community and the New York City Fire Department. He joined the FDNY on November 21‚ 1980 and assigned to Engine Co. 45 in the Bronx. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1989 and Captain in 1993.

Devlin continued through the ranks and was promoted to Battalion Chief assigned to the 9th Battalion in Manhattan in 1998. His last assignment was Division 3 on West 77th Street where he served as the NYC Special Events Coordinator. On September 11, 2001, Devlin responded to the World Trade Center immediately after seeing the attack unfold on television and tragically lost his life that day.