Macombs Dam Park

Macombs Dam Park is a 44.17-acre park at Jerome Avenue and East 161st Street in the Concourse Village section of the South Bronx, directly adjacent to Yankee Stadium. The park is named for Robert Macomb, who built a dam across the Harlem River in 1813 to power a gristmill, creating a toll bridge that was eventually torn down by citizens asserting their right to free river passage.

The original Macombs Dam Park was significantly larger before portions were used for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. The loss of parkland for stadium construction was one of the most contentious aspects of the project, and the city committed to replacing the lost acreage with new and improved park facilities.

The rebuilt park features synthetic turf athletic fields, basketball courts, a running track, playgrounds, and a swimming pool. The park's facilities were designed to serve the Concourse Village community year-round, not just on game days.

The area around the park has been the home of the New York Yankees since 1923, when the original Yankee Stadium opened and became the most famous venue in American sports. The neighborhood's identity is inseparable from the Yankees franchise, and the park serves fans on game days and local families throughout the year.

Macombs Dam Park's history encapsulates the tension between private development and public space that runs through New York City's story: parkland taken for a stadium, then partially restored through community advocacy. The park serves both as a recreation facility and as a reminder that public green space must be defended even against the most powerful interests.