Save VCP Stadium: an art deco legacy the Bronx must not lose

To the editor,

New York City has repeatedly proven that historic park structures — especially those from the New Deal era — can and should be saved. Van Cortlandt Park Stadium is inseparable from the historic, architectural and social fabric of the Bronx. Built by the Works Progress Administration, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia understood that public recreation was infrastructure for democracy itself. Yet the stadium is also a prime example of the art deco style that defines so much of the Bronx’s architectural identity — streamlined concrete forms, geometric ironwork details and functional elegance that captured the optimism of the era.

Recent precedents show that parks department structural evaluations claiming structures are “beyond repair” are not always final and can be successfully challenged or overturned through independent third-party scrutiny and transparency. In the East River Park, two surviving WPA-era art deco buildings — the 1938 to ‘39 Track House and Tennis Center Comfort Station — faced demolition as part of a coastal resiliency plan. Grassroots groups applied for and secured a Determination of Eligibility from the independent New York State Historic Preservation Office, which recognized their high integrity and “outstanding examples of art deco and WPA moderne design.” This third-party historic review forced serious consideration of mitigation and adaptive reuse, demonstrating how external evaluation can shift parks department plans.

Tragically, the parks department’s own history demonstrates that demolition frequently results in decades-long delays — or even permanent loss — of vital recreational facilities. During the 1970s fiscal crisis, widespread closures, abandonments and demolitions of park structures left entire communities without amenities for decades. More recently, when the George Cromwell Recreation Center on Staten Island was demolished following structural damage exacerbated by Hurricane Sandy, residents endured over a decade without a replacement. Demolishing VCP Stadium risks repeating this exact cycle, leaving the Bronx without its historic athletic hub for years while new construction lags.

Independent third-party reviews are essential: historic preservation engineers experienced in 1930s concrete retrofits, geotechnical experts versed in modern soil stabilization and formal consultation with the Landmarks Preservation Commission or State Historic Preservation Office for designation. Adaptive reuse — salvaging feasible portions while modernizing seating, accessibility, and systems — aligns perfectly with the park’s master plan for the 21-acre sports complex. Financially, preservation is the smarter investment. Historic rehabilitation typically costs less than full demolition and new construction when factoring in debris removal and hazardous abatement.

The community is right to demand better. The park’s master plan already calls for upgrades — the stadium’s historic fabric can and must be part of them. New York City has learned the cost of erasing its past. Let us choose the path of preservation, independent scrutiny, and adaptive reuse. The Bronx’s athletes, families and future generations deserve a stadium that carries forward both the New Deal promise and the borough’s proud art deco heritage — not a blank slate where history once stood.

MARK SLOMIANY