Seton Park

What was here before?

This site was home to the former hospital named for Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) until it was demolished in 1955. The lot remained vacant until 1958, when the property was transferred to NYC Parks and converted into a park bearing the same name.

Who is this field named for?

Bruce Silverman (1962-2015) was born in Mount Vernon, NY and grew up in Westbury, NY. He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he announced football, basketball, and baseball games on the college radio station.

After graduating, Silverman worked at several media outlets including NBC News and Major League Baseball Productions before starting Bruce Silverman Productions in 2013. Over the course of his career, he became a leader in producing and filming sports promotions.

A twenty-year resident of Riverdale, Silverman shared his enthusiasm for sports with his community. In addition to coaching baseball, soccer, and basketball teams, he was on the board of the South Riverdale Little League and the president of the Riverdale Soccer Club from 2005 to 2014. He spent much of his time at Seton Park’s fields coaching his children’s teams and continued to be involved in youth sports. Silverman also organized an annual soccer game for his players’ parents as well as a summer synagogue softball league.

Silverman, who lived in the Whitehall building across the street, was one of Seton Park’s greatest advocates and most dedicated volunteers. He passed away after a long battle with cancer in 2015, and in 2019 NYC Parks named these athletic fields in Bruce Silverman’s honor.