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Bronx · Neighborhood guide

Allerton

Allerton combines everyday neighborhood play spaces with an early experiment in cooperative housing. Zimmerman Playground and the adjacent Allerton Coops give the visit a specific social and architectural story.

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A half-timbered gable and brick chimneys at the Allerton Coops, photographed in 2018.
PoppaPic99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP.
Allerton Coops exterior

Understanding Allerton

The United Workers Cooperative Association built the Allerton Coops between 1925 and 1929. Many founding families were Eastern European Jewish garment workers. Shared libraries, classes and childcare extended the housing experiment beyond private apartments.

The buildings combine Tudor Revival and Expressionist details. Zimmerman Playground, immediately beside them, opened in 1934 through a city program that used a police war-memorial fund to create neighborhood play space.

Places to explore

  • Zimmerman Playground

    Beside the Allerton Coops

    Choose the public play space and look for the memorial setting. Its redesign placed play equipment around a central sitting area; the adjacent cooperative buildings remain residential.

  • Allerton Coops exterior

    Directly west of Zimmerman Playground

    Look at the apartment buildings from the surrounding public streets. Their historic classrooms and other communal rooms are not verified public visitor facilities.

  • Allerton Playground

    Allerton Avenue between Throop and Bouck avenues

    For a second play destination farther east, Parks lists basketball, bocce and handball courts, play equipment and restrooms. Pick the exact playground rather than confusing it with Zimmerman.

Sources and visitor information