Sara Delano Roosevelt Park 1

It's ironic that one of the grittiest parks in the Lower East Side is named for Sara Delano Roosevelt, who according to her biography was "was prejudiced against any individual or group not belonging to her elite social class." Since the park was built in 1934, it's been the playground of countless immigrant groups. Today, the north end of the park has the Hispanic flavor of the Puerto Rican neighborhood that surrounds it, while the southern end of the park is solidly part of Chinatown.

Comments

[Nicole]

What is the weird ghost-like child in the first picture? It's a little creepy. (Perhaps a little Photoshop trickery?...)

[jake]

no- it's not photoshop- i was shooting a 30s exposure, and about halfway through, this little girl ran up and posed for about 5 seconds, and then ran off!

[Joe Holmes]

The ghostly girl is an amazing catch. That's a keeper, Jake, a gift from the photo gods.

[scott partee]

Wow! That's a great set of photos. I really like your style, which has developed quite a recognizable tone.

[Lock]

Hott.

[tien]

creepy man, creepy. that's almost like that white thing in the alley you had in one photo a while back. i can't remember what series that was.

[Quarlo]

#1 is real righteous.

[Mike]

I'm going with the ghost theory myself.

[christine]

the first pic is great!! lighting is lovely

[evan]

I'm gonna add my love as well, Jake -- that first photo is pimp.

Hot Damn.

[Erika Herzog]

there's also a reflection of the kid in the basketball hoop backframe thing... wild....

[Erika Herzog]

uh, nevermind... it's the angle of the shot.

[rion]

since no one's said it yet - heh - that first shot of the girl is KAR - EEEEEEEEEPY!

[sam]

Nice pics. I heard that this park used to be an open-air market. Do you know anything about that?

[Wendy]

The first picture is pretty damn scary.

[S. J. Kovacs]

I am writing to correct the statement made on this page regarding the park's namesake - Sara Delano Roosevelt. You quote an apparently incorrect biography which says she was prejudiced against different groups or people outside of her own, when in fact she was more than accepting of others who were of any race, religion, or heritage. She gave enormous amounts of personal money to organizations for Jewish, Chinese, black, and other "non-elite groups." If you wish to know more I suggest you read "Sara and Eleanor" by Jan Pottker. It would clear up what most of today's historians claim about Sara Delano Roosevelt's character. It also mentions the SDR Park a few times.