Concrete Plant Park

The Bronx River is an integral part of the evolution of this site, as it was both the catalyst for industrial development and later appeals for parkland. Concrete Plant Park, which runs along the western edge of the Bronx River between Bruckner Boulevard and Westchester Avenue, was formerly used for concrete production from the 1940s to 1987.

In 1987, the plant was shut down by the City, allegedly due to corruption charges, and it was subsequently abandoned for several years. In 1999, community groups advocated for the property to be turned into parkland and access be restored to the Bronx River waterfront. NYC Parks acquired the land in 2000 and, in close partnership the Bronx River Alliance, began the revitalization of this formerly abandoned site by re-establishing salt marshes on the riverbank once strewn with trash and tires. Concrete Plant Park was formally opened to the public in the fall of 2009.

Extensive site remediation was necessary to transform this industrial site into a park–including removal of contaminated soil and reintroduction of salt marsh vegetation. The restoration was a part of a larger effort that began in the late 1990s to restore the Bronx River's aquatic habitat and natural ecosystems. Today park visitors can find an abundance of flora and fauna including Belted Kingfisher, Blue Crab, American Snapping Turtle, and Smooth Cordgrass.

The extant storage silos in Concrete Plant Park provide a powerful link to the site's former use. They were built by the Transit Mix Concrete Corporation for producing batch-mix concrete, and left intact when the site was abandoned. The red silos have since become sculptural features commemorating both the industrial legacy of the Bronx and the community whose organizing led to the site's metamorphosis into a park.

The waterfront park contains facilities linking existing and planned multi-use pedestrian greenways. Concrete Plant Park is an integral connection along the Bronx River Greenway, a ribbon of multi-use pathways linked by waterfront parks. When complete, the Bronx River Greenway will span 23 miles and extend the full length of the Bronx River, from Westchester County through the Bronx to the East River.

The park also features a waterfront promenade, reading circle, and inviting park entrances at both Westchester Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard. A new canoe and kayak launch provides an access point to the Bronx River Corridor along the park's shoreline.

The Bronx River Alliance, an NYC Parks partner, actively engages the community with the park's history and environment through seasonal kayaking tours, festivals, and restoration projects. Developed in 2017, the Bronx River Foodway is a pilot project at Concrete Plant Park that examines how a sustainable food landscape can be integrated into a public park. Currently, the Foodway offers access to a variety of edible plants including medicinal plants, nut trees, native berries, as well as a section dedicated to kitchen herbs and recognizable vegetables. The goal of the Foodway echoes that of the park's original advocates: to jump-start the imagination and think about new ways to use land within the city.