BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY November 3, 2019 6
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.
Local elected offi cials,
students launch I.S. 339’s
playground renovations
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
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