103rd & 107th Street BallFields

Frederick Law Olmsted completed the schematic design for Riverside Drive and Park in 1875; he envisioned the Drive as one of the most beautiful boulevards in the world, affording scenic views of the Hudson River along its serpentine route. During that time the Park sloped down to the railroad tracks west of the Drive.

Between 1937 and 1941, under the leadership of Robert Moses, designers Gilmore D. Clarke and Clinton Lloyd extended the Park to the Hudson River, spanning both sides of the newly-created Henry Hudson Parkway. The railroad tracks were covered from 72nd to 125th Street to create a central Promenade, and 22 modern recreational facilities were added, including an active recreation area from 101st to 112th Street on the Park’s lower level. Thus a three-tiered Park emerged. The 103rd and 107th Street Playing Fields were part of this expansion.

The most recent reconstruction, completed in April of 2006, was the first major work on the fields since 1989, and has created multi-use facilities which include a regulation little league baseball field and a regulation high school soccer field. The new field turf will allow for year-round, full-time use on an attractive, functional playing surface for approximately 60,000 annual ballplayers.

Effective partnerships were key to this project’s success. Foremost among those is the ongoing partnership between Riverside Park Fund and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Borough President C. Virginia Fields, City Council Member Gale Brewer, and former City Council member Phil Reed each played an important role, as did the West Side Little League, West Side Soccer League, and other generous supporters. Riverside Park Fund and the Parks Department contracted with the Central Park Conservancy to design the fields and supervise their construction, thereby effecting another productive partnership.