Cpl Fischer Park

What was here before?

This site was part of the Devoe family estate, a wealthy family who were congregants at the First Reformed Dutch Church and descendants of Daniel Turnier, who acquired the lower section of the Fordham Patent of 1676. In 1868, shortly before streets had been laid out, four Devoe families were landowners in the area.

How did this site become a park?

This vacant property was assigned to NYC Parks from the Department of Transportation in 1995.

The park will be re-constructed in 2023 and will include spray showers, a toddler play area, and room for passive recreation.

Who is this park named for?

Corporal Irwin A. Fischer (d.1944) was a World War II (1939-1945) veteran who died in the line of duty.

Fischer enlisted in the United States Army and served in the 75th Joint Assault Signal Company of the Army Air Corps. His company flew in Saipan, Iwo Jima, New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippines.

America entered World War II after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The battles of the Pacific that Fischer’s company fought in during the years that followed were some of the bloodiest of the war. Two marine divisions landed on the west Pacific Island of Saipan on June 15, 1944, hoping to wrest control of the island. The Japanese had controlled Saipan since 1920, and they fought tenaciously. In an air battle on June 14th, the Japanese Naval Air Forces lost 348 planes in a defeat at the hands of the United States. On October 20, 1944, U.S. forces took Leyte in the Philippines. Seven days later an Allied airstrip began operating, and for the first time since 1942, the U.S. was able to launch missions from the Philippines. Fischer died in the Philippines shortly after these airstrips began servicing planes. Technician 5th Class Irwin Fischer was declared Missing-in-Action (M.I.A.) on November 12, 1944.