Columbia Oval
The Columbia Oval was a piece of property in what is now the Norwood section of the Bronx (and once upon a time the Williamsbridge neighborhood)[1]. Today it is the Williamsbridge Oval, a New York City public park with recreation facilities.[2] Columbia's one time presence in the neighborhood is still indicated by the presence of "King's College Place" a block north of the park. The property had served at times as Columbia's athletics facility before the adoption of South Field as an athletic field, and the construction of Baker Athletic Complex in the Inwood neighborhood at the northern tip of Manhattan.[3] It was considered as an alternative site for the construction of a football stadium in place of Riverside Stadium.[4]
Alumni generally supported improvements to the oval, though they were rarely carried out. Strangely, one of the reasons they expressed so much interest in the construction of bleachers and over amenities was so that they could lure the Princeton-Yale football game.[5]
References
- ↑ As Maps and Memories Fade, So Do Some Bronx Boundary Lines, New York Times, 16 September 2006
- ↑ New York City Department of Parks & Recreation - Williamsbridge Oval
- ↑ COLUMBIA MAY PLAY FOOTBALL IN BRONX; Old Columbia Oval at Williamsbridge Available for an Athletic Field.", New York Times, July 2, 1915, Page 9
- ↑ "OFFERS NEW STADIUM PLAN.; M.L. Cornell Suggests Williamsbridge as Site of Columbia Field.", New York Times, April 6, 1921, Section: Sports, Page 24]
- ↑ Columbia Spectator, November 9, 1894
