A Brief but Baffling Biography of Baruch Field

Matteo Edesses-Hardy ’26

Commonly known as ‘The Field’, Baruch Playground is an integral part of the Bard experience. Functionally, it’s an extension of the campus, compensating for our lack of an inviting gym or large cafeteria. No matter the period, The Field is always filled with action. Gym classes begrudgingly play soccer, students huddle in circles eating deli snacks, and there’s a constant aerial danger of frisbees tossed the length of green turf. It facilitates our community and brings people of all grades together for the shared experience of enjoying the sunlight and fresh air, largely without the supervision of teachers. As a daily denizen of the field myself, I recently realized I know nothing about its namesake or history. I thought my fellow students might share my curiosity about this neighborhood institution too. As it turns out, it's a controversial story.

Instead of the basketball courts and playground on the site today, the original back lot opened as a large public bathhouse in 1901.At the turn of the century the surrounding area was filled with tenements – large apartment buildings known for their poor ventilation, deplorable hygienic conditions, and often lack of running water.Historians estimate that there was an average of just 1 bathtub for every 79 families living in the tenements. To address the cholera and typhoid outbreaks that were wreaking havoc on the largely poor immigrant populations nearby,the city opened the Baruch Bathhouse. The movement to provide people with a place to bathe was championed by Dr. Simon Baruch, a notable physician who advocated for public spaces which would allow the city to combat the dangerous diseases that were running rampant. He was later appointed the president of the American Association for Promoting Hygiene and Public Baths, and the bathhouse near BHSEC was named in his honor. However, like many celebrated historical figures, Dr. Baruch represents a much more complex legacy than just the deeds for which he is recognized and remembered. Prior to moving to New York, he served in the Confederate army during the Civil War and was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan. This significant element of his biography remains unacknowledged and a community space used largely by kids carries his name. The city has chosen to highlight the fame of Dr. Baruch’s son rather than acknowledge his complete and complex public life.

In fact, Dr. Baruch’s son, Bernard Baruch, created a legacy far more well known than that of his racist physician father. Bernard Baruch was highly successful in the New York Stock Exchange and served as a financial advisor to Woodrow Wilson and FDR throughout World Wars I and II. He founded the eponymous Baruch College, and many other institutions in New York, where he spent much of his adult life. In 1939, he gave the land where The Field currently stands to the city, to be developed as part of The New Deal in order to create jobs during the Great Depression. As a result of his donation and history of support for the city, the field’s name is now commonly attributed to Bernard instead of his far more controversial father.