A park in Yonkers that had been known as Daylighting III has now been rebranded with a bilingual sign as El Parque de la Cultura and dedicated to the influence of Hispanic culture in Yonkers. In English, the park is known as Culture Park. The park is on the corner of Nepperhan Avenue and New Main Street.
When it opened in 2018 it was named Daylighting III to reflect its association with the reopening to daylight of the Saw Mill River, which had been covered over in the downtown area. There were three Yonkers parks that were designed to create green space in the downtown while also opening up to daylight and protecting the river.
At a ceremony unveiling the new bilingual sign identifying the park, Mayor Mike Spano said, “It required us to take down an entire strip of stores and we had to reclaim the river underneath it. Latinos here in Yonkers account for almost half of the total population of the city. More than 20 Latin American countries are represented in our great city of Yonkers. So, this park formerly known as Daylighting III, which is not all that exciting, is now dedicated to all of you. It is the first park dedicated to Hispanic heritage. Culture Park represents the Hispanic influence here in Yonkers from business, to art, to music, and most importantly to the beautiful culture.”
According to Yonkers Parks Commissioner Steve Sansone the park covers 1.25 acres.
“This space has been a creative space for cultural programming within the Hispanic community celebrated by everybody in Yonkers,” Sansone said.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “I really am happy that I live in a city that can celebrate everyone, everywhere, every time and reflect the joy in our hearts of our cultures and of our roots but also the spaces and the places that we gather and enjoy each other.”
