Co-op City Field
Co-Op City Ballfields
These ballfields, located at the intersection of Co-Op City Boulevard, Bellamy Loop, and the Hutchinson River, share the same name as the Bronx neighborhood in which it resides, Co-Op City.
Through the 1940s, the Co-Op City property, located in the Baychester section of the eastern Bronx was an undeveloped swamp owned by the City. The Freedomland Amusement Park Corporation purchased a portion of the land, but the land remained undeveloped. After World War II, the Army attempted to acquire the property in order to construct an airfield. The Army went so far as to draw up blueprints and maps of the proposed base, but Robert Moses (1888-1981), Parks Commissioner from 1934 to 1960, had other plans.
Robert Moses envisioned a system to improve New York’s housing situation, which involved erecting modern apartment buildings in vacant areas, moving tenants in, and then replacing their former residences with modern complexes. Moses hoped this would create a cycle that would eventually revolutionize modern housing. Co-op City was a model of his vision.
Despite Moses’s hopes, Co-Op City’s three dozen high rise buildings and numerous townhouses (containing a total of 15,382 apartments) did not initialize a cycle of citywide housing renewal. Instead, thanks in part to incentive programs launched during the 1960s aimed at countering the suburban migration, Co-Op City became home to thousands of middle-class New Yorkers. At the time of its construction, Co-Op City was the largest apartment complex in the United States, but Moses was already planning his next project, a 50,000 apartment residential cluster on Breezy Point called “Atlantic Village.” Due to budget limitations, the Breezy Point project never came to fruition.
In 1975, a plan was drawn up between the City and Co-Op City manager, Riverbay Corporation, for the creation of Co-Op City Fields. In 1979, the site was deeded to Parks. The fields stands on the outskirts of the residential area, at the intersection of Co-Op City Boulevard and the Bellemay Loop, adjacent to the Hutchinson River and consist of a pair of excellently maintained baseball diamonds. Both of the fenced fields contain dugouts. For spectator enjoyment of the games being played, there is a walkway with bleachers, a small picnic area, and a comfort station. The fields are also home to the Co-Op City Little League.