Find A Park > Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center

Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center

W. 59 St., W. 60 St., bet. Amsterdam Ave. and W. End Ave.

Manhattan

Directions via Google Maps

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

This Recreation Center is named in honor of Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003), who was a world-class swimmer and the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

Born to German immigrants, Ederle was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 108 Amsterdam Avenue, above her father’s butcher shop. As a girl, her father taught her how to swim at their summer cottage in New Jersey. By her late teens, she was a champion swimmer and a member of the Women’s Swimming Association. Ederle went on to win several medals, including the gold at the Paris 1924 Olympics, and held twenty-nine national and world amateur records by 1925.

On August 6, 1926, Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Departing from Cap Gris Nez, France, she landed on the shores of Kingsdown in Kent, England in 14 hours and 39 minutes.

Read More

This map is designed to represent parks as they are used by the public. It should not be used to represent the legal boundaries of property under Parks jurisdiction. If you would like to view all City property under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks, please visit NYC OpenData.

Check out your park's Vital Signs

Clean & Safe

94
Park Condition Score
No recent capital investment.
View all park capital projects

Green & Resilient

18
Mapped Trees
No natural areas present at this site.
View all Forever Wild sites

Empowered & Engaged Users

789
Recent & Future Events
No active volunteer groups.
Help start a volunteer group

Share your feedback or learn more about how this park is part of a Vital Park System

Know Before You Go

Recreation Centers
Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center
Please note the elevator at Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center is currently out of service. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.