Macombs Dam Park and Pool

Macombs Dam Park is a 28-acre park adjacent to Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx, named for a colonial-era dam and mill built by Robert Macomb across the Harlem River in the 18th century.

The park features one of the city's WPA-era swimming pools, athletic fields, playgrounds, and the kinds of community recreation facilities that are essential in a densely populated neighborhood with limited private outdoor space.

Macombs Dam was the cause of a famous legal dispute in the early 19th century when local residents, angry that the dam blocked river navigation, destroyed it. The case established important precedents for public waterway access in American law.

The park's location next to Yankee Stadium means it experiences dramatic surges in activity on game days, when tens of thousands of fans fill the surrounding streets. On other days, the park serves as a quiet neighborhood recreational facility.

Macombs Dam Park connects a colonial-era legal battle over public waterway access to the contemporary use of public space in the shadow of the most storied stadium in American sports.