Local elected offi cials,
students launch I.S. 339’s
playground renovations
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N 14 OVEMBER 1-7, 2019 BTR
The Harding Avenue exit for the Throgs Neck Bridge in Throggs Neck. Spelling the name of
this Bronx neighborhood is a sure pain in the ‘Neck.’ Photo by Alex Mitchell
One ‘g’ or two?
Throggs Neck has a
longstanding identity crisis
BY ALEX MITCHELL
AMNEWYORK REPORTER
The ongoing debate of how to properly
write out Throggs Neck (or is it
Throgs Neck?) has sparked controversy
in the Bronx for quite some time
now — a few centuries, to be exact.
Essentially, there have been two
schools of thought on this one throughout
the years: either spell the waterfront
neighborhood out with with one
‘g’ or double up the consonant.
It all started in 1642, when a pilgrim
by the name of John Throckmorton
left New England to settle in the
now phonetically controversial peninsula,
which would later take his namesake.
This East Bronx waterfront had
originally been called ‘Throck’s Neck’
after Throckmorton, though over
some years its pronunciation eventually
evolved to ‘Throggs Neck’ — possibly
the fi rst example of a New York
accent.
“There wasn’t spell check in the
1750s,” said Bronx Borough Historian
Lloyd Ultan, whose been at the throat
of this issue in the Neck.
He explained that by the Revolutionary
War its pronunciation had derived
to ‘Frog’s Neck,’ and it was something
else for the colonists and British
to skirmish over.
“Nobody knew what a Throgg was,”
Ultan said, mentioning that later during
times of peace its naming reverted
back to Throggs Neck in the 1800s.
Come 1854, the fi rst Presbyterian
Church in the area put its neck on the
line by using a two g spelling, which
was generally accepted for the next
century.
Then Robert Moses came along.
According to Ultan, the power
broker, wanting to save money on
road signs, began the one G spelling
of Throggs Neck while planning the
Throgs Neck Bridge and its subsequent
expressway.
The Throgs Neck Bridge was built
under the auspices of the Triborough
Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which
Moses controlled.
The TBTA also built during the
1960s the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge
between Brooklyn and Staten Island,
named for the Italian explorer Giovanni
da Verrazzano, who discovered
New York Harbor.
But in building the bridge, Moses
left out one letter in the bridge’s
name — just as he had done in building
the Throgs Neck span. In this
case, he dropped one of the z’s in the
explorer’s name. In 2018, Governor
Andrew Cuomo signed a law rightfully
restoring the second z in Verrazzano.
So does the the city recognizes just
one g? Maybe. But don’t tell that to the
federal employees at the Throggs Neck
Post Offi ce on East Tremont Avenue.
Since its inception, that mail facility
has taken to the double g spelling
of the neck and still does to this day.
So who’s right? Ultan says it doesn’t
matter that much.
“They’re both correct spellings
to my knowledge,” Ultan said, noting
that he’s a ‘purist’ who uses the double
g spelling.
“People can’t decide how to spell it
and they still argue over to this day
down there,” the historian continued.
Regardless of how you spell
Throggs Neck, at least you’ve got an
interesting story to tell the next time
you’re stuck in traffi c on the Throgs
Neck Bridge.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Come June 2020, students at I.S.
339 will celebrate the completion of
their brand new playground.
On Monday, October 28, Borough
President Ruben Diaz, jr., Assemblyman
Michael Blake, and members of
New York Road Runners in partnership
with The Trust for Public Land
marked the beginning of the $1.5 million
project with a groundbreaking
ceremony at the playground located
at 1600 Webster Avenue.
Public funding for the park was
provided by Diaz and Councilwoman
Vanessa Gibson.
Diaz noted the importance of
parks in providing easy public access
to green spaces for exercise, and
improving individuals’ health and
wellbeing.
“There’s a run of success of maximizing
spaces like this, but doing it
in a way where there’s complete input
by the student body as well,” Diaz
said. “They turn pieces of land that
were meant to make sure you have
great fond memories, participate
in sports, make sure that you stay
healthy and transform them into an
oasis that is second to none -- either
here throughout the city of New York
or any other place in the country.”
Designed by students, staff, parents
and community members, the playground
will include features such as
a track, turf fi elds, a basketball court,
outdoor classroom, games tales, water
fountain, benches and trees.
“Our new school yard will become
a beautiful space for everyone to enjoy,”
said 8th grade student designer,
Saiyrah.
Blake, said, “This is what we need
in the Bronx. We need more opportunities
so you can see what can be possible,
and this is just the next step on
realizing those dreams.”
The new playground is part of The
Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds
Program, which involves
students in a participatory design
process in order to build green community
resources.
The I.S. 339 playground will be the
eighth playground constructed in the
fi ve boroughs by The Trust for Public
Land in partnership with New York
Road Runners.
“We’re so happy to be able to partner
with Trust for Public Land because
they’re able to do this quickly,”
said Rachel Pratt, senior vice president
of Youth and Community Services,
New York Road Runners.
“They build playgrounds that are
fun and last a long time. Every new
playground they add just brings joy
to that community.”
The special event also kicked off
NYC Marathon Week, where students
ran through the park ground with
members from the New York Road
Runners Team for Kids program,
which raises funds for the Rising
New York Road Runners youth program,
that brings free running and
fi tness programs to students across
the country.
Additionally, the playground is
being created through a partnership
with the NYC Department of Education,
the NYC Department of Environmental
Protection and the NYC
School Construction Authority.
I.S. 339 principal Kim Outerbridge
said the new playground will transform
the school for students.
“We have a lot of work to do but
this is thankfully something that
we’re going to be able to recognize
for a very long time because this
yard will not only be open to our students
here in the building, but also to
the entire community,” Outerbridge
said.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz (fourth from right) and State Assemblyman Michael
Blake (third from right) break ground at I.S. 339 with members of New York City Road Runners
and The Trust For Public Land marking the renovation of the new playground to be
completed by June 2020. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed