You can now play squash in Hamilton Fish Park.
As a six month experiment, the New York City Parks Department accepted a pitch from the Public Squash Foundation to convert a handball court into an open air squash court. Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver was on the Lower East Side this morning for a ribbon cutting. He also took a few swings of the racquet.
The initiative, which cost the foundation around $85,000, is part of an effort to make the “preppy sport” more accessible to the masses. For more of the back story, read this Bloomberg article from 2016.
The Ham Fish court is the first f its kind. It’s free to use on a first-come-first serve basis, except when there’s scheduled programming. Next month, the City Parks Foundation will conduct free youth clinics. More details on the Parks Department’s website.