A new 40,000-square-foot recreation center is coming to Walter Gladwin Park on East Tremont Ave., bringing much-needed relief to a community identified as a “recreation desert.”
The new center will offer programming for all ages and include a gymnasium, cardio and strength training rooms, dance studios and educational spaces, in an eco-friendly, timber-focused design with green roof and solar panels.
The Parks Department is currently seeking a contractor for the project, and construction is expected to begin in late 2026.
The new center is part of the Parks Department’s effort to identify areas throughout the city that lack recreation opportunities. In the neighborhood around Walter Gladwin Park, only 5% of residents currently have convenient access to a rec center, according to Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura.
Tremont residents have long advocated for more recreation opportunities — an area where research shows the Bronx lags behind.
The average New York City community district has about 150 athletic facilities, and some have far more, according to a new report by the Center for an Urban Future, “Putting the ‘Rec’ Back in NYC Parks and Recreation.”
But Bronx CB6, where the Walter Gladwin Recreation Center will be located, includes Belmont, Bathgate, West Farms, East Tremont and has just 48 athletic facilities, with no courts for pickleball, tennis, volleyball and similar activities, the report said.
Even more sparse for recreation is is Bronx CB5, covering Fordham, University Heights, Morris Heights, Bathgate and Mount Hope, which has only 27 athletic facilities.
Though NYC Parks program offerings have declined in every borough since 2019, the Bronx has seen the greatest decline, according to the report. Currently, Manhattan has the third-highest borough population but the greatest amount and variety of Parks programming.
As NYC Parks works to level the playing field, the forthcoming Walter Gladwin Recreation Center will serve approximately 75,000 residents living within a half-mile radius, according to the department.
“Parks is the agency of affordability, and our recreation centers and programming are an essential component of that,” Shimamura said in a statement to the Bronx Times.
“We’re committed to bringing these public resources within reach for all New Yorkers by investing in brand-new facilities, like the Walter Gladwin Recreation Center, that close gaps in our citywide recreation network.”
The Tremont project, supported by a $15 million state grant, is not the only new rec facility coming to the Bronx soon.
A 45,000-square-foot center in Soundview Park is currently in the design phase and will include sports courts, exercise equipment and spaces for fitness, yoga, dance and more. Construction is expected to start next year.
Demand for membership at the new centers is expected to be strong, as evidenced by the new Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center, which opened Feb. 9 in East Flatbush, another neighborhood known as a recreation desert. In its first month alone, the Shirley Chisholm Center received 5,000 new memberships, according to NYC Parks.
Shimamura called rec center membership “the best deal in the city.” Residents can become members for $150 per year, or $25 per year for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities and free for residents age 24 and under.
NYC Parks has committed $1 billion to rec center projects through Fiscal Year 2029, an investment that will pay off in public health and well-being.
“These investments create modern and well-equipped neighborhood spaces that are accessible to all, helping to strengthen communities and keep New Yorkers active, engaged, and healthy,” Shimamura said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
