Local students check out the play area of the new Cpl. Fisher Park. The site was formerly an empty lot. Image Credit: NYC Parks.
On March 28, 2023, Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson joined community representatives and advocates to celebrate the opening of Corporal Fischer Park, a new park in Highbridge that replaced a formerly empty fenced off lot. The new park is on West 170th Street between Nelson Avenue and Shakespeare Avenue.
The new park is 0.57 acres and has no record of previous development. The former lot was developed into a park as part of the Jerome Avenue Rezoning Initiative, a 2018 City Planning initiative to create opportunities for new affordable housing and community facilities and spaces in the west Bronx.
The new park features a plaza space, a play area, an upper seating area that also functions as a lookout point, lower seating area, and an accessible path that connects the upper and lower parts of the park.
The park is named after Corporal Irwin A. Fisher, who served in the United States Army during World War II and died in the line of duty in 1944. He served in the 75th Joint Assault Signal Company of the Army Air Corps, and flew in Saipan, Iwo Jima, New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Marshall Islands.
The project was funded by over $4.6 million from the Mayor’s Office.
Parks Commissioner Donoghue stated, “The transformation of Corporal Fischer Park is truly inspiring. Just a few years ago, this park was a fenced-off lot, with no seating, landscaping, or public access. Now, this park has been completely reimagined as a beautiful public greenspace with amenities for New Yorkers of all ages. This project underscores our commitment at NYC Parks to making high-quality, safe, public parks available to all New Yorkers.”
Bronx Borough President Gibson stated, “Yesterday was a significant win for the West Bronx as we celebrated the ribbon cutting of a brand-new park in our Borough. As the former Council Member for the 16th District, the transformation of this empty lot into a greenspace for our community was a top priority of mine as part of the Jerome Neighborhood Plan, and I am excited to see this project come to fruition. Our residents and families deserve the best and will now get to enjoy a new playground, a toddler play area, and space to safely recreate without having to leave their neighborhood. I want to thank NYC Parks, Bronx Community Board 4, the Mayor`s Office, parks advocates, Highbridge residents, and everyone else involved for their partnership in making this possible.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)