Thomas Jefferson Park

Thomas Jefferson Park is a 15.52-acre park and recreation complex in East Harlem, stretching from First Avenue to the FDR Drive between East 111th and 114th Streets. Named for the third President of the United States, the park is one of the largest and most heavily used recreation spaces in East Harlem.

The park's centerpiece is the Thomas Jefferson Pool and Play Center, one of eleven massive outdoor swimming pools that Robert Moses built simultaneously across the city in 1936 using WPA (Works Progress Administration) labor during the Great Depression. These pools were engineering marvels of their time, and they remain vital community resources nearly nine decades later.

The pool complex was designed in a stripped-down classical style typical of the WPA era, with clean brick walls and monumental proportions that gave civic dignity to facilities serving working-class neighborhoods. The pool draws thousands of swimmers from East Harlem and beyond during the summer months, when free public pool access is one of the city's most cherished amenities.

Beyond the pool, the park includes basketball courts, handball courts, a running track, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, and a recreation center offering year-round indoor programming. The park's athletic facilities support organized youth leagues and informal recreation for the surrounding East Harlem community.

Thomas Jefferson Park serves a neighborhood that has historically had one of the lowest ratios of park acreage to population in Manhattan. Its facilities are correspondingly oversubscribed, with demand consistently exceeding capacity during peak seasons. The park's continued maintenance and improvement are critical to the quality of life for the more than 100,000 residents of East Harlem.