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Jerome Playground

Wortman Ave. between Jerome St. and Warwick St.

Brooklyn

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This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This park is named after the Leonard W. Jerome (1817-1891), a prominent and wealthy Brooklyn citizen. He was a successful stock speculator, making and losing several fortunes and earning the nickname “King of Wall Street” in the process. He was also principal owner of The New York Times for several years, founder of the American Academy of Music, and maternal grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill. Jerome was an avid sportsman and enjoyed yachting and horseracing. He helped found the American Jockey Club, and he built the Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx in conjunction with his brothers and the financier August Belmont (1816-1890). The track opened on September 25, 1866, and it marked the return of thoroughbred racing to the metropolitan area after a hiatus during the Civil War. The appointments were lavishly built, with a large dining room, magnificent ballroom, and clubhouse accommodations equivalent to those of luxury hotels. In 1867, the Belmont Stakes, one of…

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