Comments on: The Dyckman Oval

By: MARTY FRIEDMAN

MARTY FRIEDMAN — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:04:11 +0000

Hey, Jim O’Hara of 120 Vermilyea, I am Eddie’s little brother. I remember you well… and your Dad. He was an emergency services cop with around face and wore a black uniform. The emergency services hook and ladder would pick him up and bring him back. It was black, not red like a fire H&L. What a thrill to read your posting.

By: Cole Thompson

Cole Thompson — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:42:09 +0000

The best image I've seen of the Oval is in the collection of the New York Public Library. You can order a print through them. Here's a link to the photo from their digital archives. (The caption on the photo says it is in the Bronx, but mistakes happen I suppose) Thanks for writing in. Cole

By: carlos mainero

carlos mainero — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:25:23 +0000

Dear Cole .

Although I would never be a Yankee Fan, I´m very interested in getting a simple photograph from inside of the Dyckman Oval ballfield, cause I recently purchased
“The Green Cathedrals” Stadium´s Bible Book, and unfortunately there ain´t none about it. However Mr. Lowry ( Book´s author ) then comments over the legendary negro´s league Oval , that was just “the nicest of all negro league stadiums” at it´s time.
¿Would it be too difficult to get a single black and white shot from inside of the original baseball´s Oval before its demolition at 1938?
Receive many greetings from Charlie Mainero ( a true lover of old and historic Bballparks). I´ll be grateful in receiving your answer soon.
Thanks for this precious memories anyway!

By: Eileen Langan

Eileen Langan — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:37:28 +0000

I remember climbing around on those white rocks and caves on Nagle. When I was around 8, my father took me to the Speedway and showed me how to ride a horse. For a quarter I rode the horse 3 times around the ring. Perhaps you remember the day there in 1954 when a whitish horse tried to attack me as I sat on a bench inside the wire fence. I had parked my bike outside and came in to reminisce. I recognized the stable worker mounted on the horse. He was talking with another worker, when the horse began to look at me. At first I thought I imagined it, but the horse kept trying to pull his head around, and I could see the whites of his eyes as he stared at me. Suddenly the horse bolted towards me. The rider pulled on the reins and dug into the stirrups, but couldn’t stop the horse. When the horse rose up on his back legs in front of me, I darted under his belly and got behind a tree. Everyone was staring in silence, but then broke out laughing when they saw me peering from behind the tree. I looked around the tree and saw the horse’s front feet on the back of the bench, where I was sitting, with the rider trying to back him down off the bench. I left the minute I could. This was a very unusual event, and I have never solved why that horse did what he did. If you were there and saw it that day, let me know. eileenlangan@comcast.net

By: Historic Inwood – The Dyckman Oval «

Historic Inwood – The Dyckman Oval « — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:14:13 +0000

[...] to myinwood.net/ for all the great historical information and [...]

By: Stan Levy

Stan Levy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:28:32 +0000

I was born on 204th St just east of Vermilyea Ave. and left Inwood in Jan. 1943 to join the Navy. I worked in the Consolidated Shipbuilding Yard in 1942, just across the East River from Inwood in what is called Morris Heights. I would walk across the 207th St. bridge, passing the Miramar pool to get to work. Navy PC ships were being built there at the time. What a great neighborhood to grow up in. Thanks for bringing back all those wonderful memories of Inwood on the Hudson.

By: JIM

JIM — Sat, 22 May 2010 17:49:59 +0000

I used to see Sugar Ray Robinson running on the Speedway. His Purple Cadilac not far behind and as far as great boxing at the Dyckman Oval many on the way up &down fought there. Paul ? owned an auto repair shop next to the stables and the old Con ED plant across the small alcove. What I remenber was an old lady who lived on a barge in this Harlem River alcove with a Parrot,the first I ever saw that talked. Fond memories

By: Lowell Schechter

Lowell Schechter — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:34:09 +0000

I grew up in the Dyckman Houses from 1955 to 1971 and I knew about the Dyckman Oval
which practically went pass my building (7) 3784 Tenth Ave. I believe that was the extension of Academy Street to 10th ave. I love looking at that old photo of the newly built Dyckman Projects and you can see the newly planted trees. We played football, baseball, punch ball all over the projects and on the Big Lawn between building 1 and 2
And we also played on the White Rocks which was a bit high and dangerous. You had to be careful up there. I still visit the projects every so often.

By: Frank Moore

Frank Moore — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:34:26 +0000

Cole,
I’ve read and enjoyed just about every piece on your website. I have been on the Inwood boards for years and am a big fan of both Inwood and NYC history. Your website, research and findings are top notch. Special kudos to the Dyckman Oval piece (born and raised at 204 and Post) and the Inwood Pottery piece ( I own a couple of non museum quality pieces). I wish I still had the stuff I dug up near the caves in the park in the late 60′s early 70′s as it was fascinating. Many thanks!

By: Don

Don — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:50:44 +0000

I lived near Nagle and 204th in the fifties and sixties and we played on the White Rocks all the time. I never knew the history of the Dyckman Houses land area until now. Thanks Cole, for some memories I never had until now.

By: Jim O'Hara

Jim O'Hara — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:59:45 +0000

That “pony”ride was owned by a good freind of my family,Charlie Street,I use to work there after school and on Saturdays.They weren’t ponys they were full grown horses,I oughta know,I cleaned the stables and also was allowed to ride as often as I wanted as long as we weren’t busy,sometimes right to my house at 120 Vermilyea.

Jim

By: Bill Israel

Bill Israel — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:31:05 +0000

I grew up in the Dyckman Houses (213 Nagle) and played on those white rocks (Inwood marble) until they constructed 240 Nagle Ave., circa 1967. There was a small outcrop remaining on Nagle, between 204 & Academy for at least 20 years, where a parking lot stood. When I visited in the early 2000s there was a building sitting in that former lot.

By: LL

LL — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:42:41 +0000

I remember playing on those white rocks, too.

By: LL

LL — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:41:58 +0000

“there was a pony-ride facility on the Speedway south of the projects. It was just a little ring, and I have no idea how long it lasted. It was probably 1951-52.”

I remember it!

By: Cole Thompson

Cole Thompson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:06:33 +0000

Betty,

As usual, thanks for writing in. I like that photo of the Dyckman Houses as well. It looks more like a model than the real thing. Cole

By: Elizabeth Lee

Elizabeth Lee — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:30:44 +0000

Cole: Interesting and more information than I’ve read, as usual. I particularly liked the next to last picture of the Dyckman Houses. It took a few minutes to orient myself, but with the “Speedway” in the foreground, one can see, among other things, the lot along Nagle Ave. that was full of white rocks (Inwood marble?) until the 60s, I think, when a large building went in. Also interesting to see the projects in their infancy with those tiny little trees.
By the way, a probably little known fact, and I wonder how many old-timers like myself would remember this…when I was a very young child, maybe 6 or 7, there was a pony-ride facility on the Speedway south of the projects. It was just a little ring, and I have no idea how long it lasted. It was probably 1951-52.