Kwame Ture was born Stokely Carmichael in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Jand immigrated to Harlem in 1952. In 2021, as part of the second phase of NYC Parks’ initiative to expand the representation of African Americans honored in parks, this recreation center was named for political activist Kwame Ture/Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998). A multi-use synthetic turf ballfield, added to an adjacent lot outside the center in 2008, is used for soccer, softball, and little league games. The center features a gymnasium that includes three basketball courts and two volleyball courts, as well as a fitness studio and computer room. Due to staffing shortages and financial challenges, operations of the center were assumed by NYC Parks in 2011. At the time that it was built, it was owned by NYC Parks but programmed and managed by Catholic Youth Services, a community-based organization. In 1999, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development built the West Bronx Recreation Center. How did this site become a recreation center?
By the 1980s, many of these buildings were torn down, leaving a vacant lot. The cottage was demolished in 1926, and in the 1930s several six-story apartment buildings were constructed on the site. The wooden Devoe Cottage was built on the property in 1804. This once was part of a large piece of property belonging to the Devoe family, who descended from French Huguenots that arrived in New York in the 17th century.
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