Claremont Park

Claremont Park is a 38.67-acre park in the Claremont section of the South Bronx, stretching from East 170th to East 173rd Streets between Clay and Webster Avenues. The park takes its name from the Zborowski Mansion, also known as Claremont, a grand estate house that once stood on the property.

The park was created in 1888 as part of the same park-building initiative that established Bronx Park, Crotona Park, and several other major Bronx parks. The acquisition of large parcels of land for parks in the late 19th century was a farsighted investment that continues to pay dividends for Bronx communities over a century later.

Claremont Park features a swimming pool, basketball courts, a running track, playgrounds, tennis courts, and open green areas. The pool, one of the public pools built across the city in the 1930s, provides free summer swimming in a neighborhood where many families lack access to private alternatives.

The Claremont neighborhood has faced significant challenges including poverty and the legacy of the arson and abandonment that devastated the South Bronx in the 1970s. The park provides essential recreation and green space for a community that has rebuilt itself through decades of grassroots effort.

Claremont Park is one of several major parks in the South Bronx that provide the foundation for community recreation. Its generous size and comprehensive facilities make it an anchor for the surrounding neighborhoods, offering the kind of large-scale green space that is essential for the health and wellbeing of dense urban communities.