“They called it Harris Field once” a woman’s voice whispers on the breeze. This is Harris Park in the Bronx. It’s more than just grass and trees. It’s a story etched in the very soil beneath your feet.
Father John Joseph Harris a man dedicated to young people. His short time in the Bronx left a lasting mark. The city honored him by naming this park after his passing in 1940.
Before it was a park this land held a different history. It was part of Andrew Bathgate’s estate. Then Leonard Walter Jerome owned it. He ran the famous Jerome Park Racetrack here. Did you know Winston Churchill’s maternal grandfather owned this very spot? The racetrack thrived from 1866 to 1889.
Later the city acquired the land. They built a reservoir. Imagine the scale of it 773000000 gallons of water. It was ambitious but ultimately abandoned. Filled in and returned to the city in 1917.
The Works Progress Administration WPA transformed the site. They built an athletic facility. Four baseball diamonds two softball diamonds and fields for many other sports. A fieldhouse with showers and lockers opened in 1961.
Lehman College and the Bronx High School of Science are close neighbors. The Lexington Avenue Line subway runs nearby. The park has witnessed change and growth.
A major renovation in 1997 breathed new life into Harris Park. New pavement fences trees and picnic tables were added. The ballfields received fresh turf.
Harris Park is more than a green space. It’s a living testament to a priest’s dedication. It’s a relic of a bygone era of horse racing. It’s a place shaped by the hands of the WPA. It’s a green heart beating in the Bronx today. Enjoy your time here. Let its stories resonate within you.