4.3 acres

This park takes its name from a long line of public officials, Hamilton Fish (1808-1893). Hamilton's father, Nicholas Fish (1758 - 1833), married Elizabeth Stuyvesant in 1803 and distinguished himself as Adjutant-General of New York State, Supervisor of the Revenue under President George Washington, and alderman of New York City. Hamilton Fish graduated from Columbia University and became a lawyer in 1830. His political career included terms as U.S. Representative, Lieutenant Governor, Governor, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State.

The City of New York purchased the land for Hamilton Fish Park in 1897 as part of an effort initiated by State Legislature's 1887 Small Parks Act. This pioneering law aimed to add open space in crowded neighborhoods, especially the Lower East Side. The park opened in 1900, complete with an ornate Beaux-Arts style gymnasium, the only original feature that survived to this day. Designed in 1898 by Carrere & Hastings, architects of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, the building takes its inspiration from a small garden pavilion in Paris Petit Palais. To emphasize the park's formality, its architects placed a pair of small sculpted water fountains, grass parterres, and benches in straight rows behind the gymnasium. Only three years after its opening, a redesign made accommodations for



active outdoor recreation including track and tennis.
In 1936 the Works Progress Administration built an indoor swimming pool at Hamilton Fish. It was one of eleven pools constructed around the city that year. These new facilities opened during one of the hottest summers in history and in the middle of the Great Depression. Thanks to the WPA pools, millions of new Yorkers got a place to swim. In 1952 the U.S. Olympic Team used Hamilton Fish pool for practice sessions on their way in Helsinki.

The gymnasium became an official New York City landmark in 1982, and in 1992 Parks completed a $14 million restoration of the entire park. In addition to refitting the gym as a recreation center, the project refurbished the basketball courts, handball courts, and the children's playground.
City of New York Parks & Recreation
Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner
October 2005

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