Highbridge Park

The Daily Plant : Thursday, August 25, 2011

Play Ball!

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

On August 11, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, State Senators Adriano Espaillat and Bill Perkins, State Assembly Member Guillermo Linares, Community Board 12 District Manager Ebenezer Smith, and children from the Alfonso Juvenile Baseball League, the Jaybie Sports League, the Michael Buczek Little League, and the Victor Lebron Little League to cut the ribbon on more than $1.3 million in improvements to Highbridge Park’s Ballfield at West 174th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

Thanks to $1,118,000 from the New York City Council and $159,000 from Mayor Bloomberg, Parks reconstructed this grass little league ballfield with new dugouts, a backstop, spectator stone seating, new fencing, an ADA drinking fountain, and water supply utilities. The site was regraded, existing topsoil was amended and new plantings were installed.

This ballfield, located on the north side of the Highbridge Recreation Center, was originally built in 1912 and 1913. Yankee legend Lou Gehrig grew up across the street from the field and likely learned how to play baseball here and he was between 9 - 10 years old when the field was first constructed.

This project is part of nearly $100 million that has been invested in recent years for upgrades to Highbridge Park, which include the upcoming restoration and reopening of the 1848 landmark High Bridge and the reconstruction of the Brush Stairway which descends down to the former location of the Polo Grounds.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“To find a fault is easy. To do better may be difficult.”

Plutarch
(46 AD – 120 AD)

Know Before You Go

Highbridge Recreation Center