St. James Park
11.39 Acres
Shortly after Parks acquired this site on
September 13, 1897, the low, marshy land was graded with soil and ash and
transformed into a public park. The state legislature named it for the St.
James Episcopal Church, located just south of the park on Jerome Avenue at
190th Street. The church’s landmark building, a prime example of Gothic Revival
architecture, was originally designed in 1865 as a country church for the
Huguenot and Anglican parishes of rural Westchester. There are two St. Jameses in Christian hagiology,
St. James the Greater and St. James the Less, or Little, both were apostles,
two of the twelve disciples. It is St. James the Greater, brother of St. John
the Evangelist and son of Zebedee, for whom the church and the park were named.
He was tried in Jerusalem in the year A.D. 44 and beheaded by Herod Agrippa.
St. James the Greater is generally depicted as the older Apostle, the Pilgrim
carrying a water-gourd and scallop shell, or as the Knight and Patron Saint
of Spain, mounted on horseback. His Feast Day is July 25. Over the course of the last century, St. James Park has expanded
its facilities to meet the growing needs of the community. A series of music
concerts held in 1903 proved so popular that a music pavilion was erected
in the park. One year later, parks officials responded to the demands of tennis
players by installing tennis courts at the site. The park was redesigned and
reconstructed from 1935-7 when the playground and recreation building were
constructed. The St. James Golden Age Center has engaged Bronx senior citizens
with activities and programs since it opened in 1974. Children’s opportunities
for exercise and adventure expanded in 1997 with the installation of state-of-the-art
modular play equipment, funded with $90,770 in requirements contracts.
Monday, Jul 07, 1997