Jerome Playground South
S/s Cross Bronx Exwy bet. Townsend Av and Jerome Av
Bronx
Directions via Google Maps
This park takes its name from adjacent Jerome Avenue. The avenue bears the name of Leonard W. Jerome (1817-1891), a prominent and wealthy citizen of New York City who created the Jerome Park Racetrack on land that he had purchased in the present-day Bronx. He was a successful stock speculator, making and losing several fortunes and earning the nickname “King of Wall Street” in the process. He was also a principal owner of The New York Times for several years, founder of the American Academy of Music, and maternal grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.