Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the east Bronx, New York City.

The name "Parkchester" itself was derived from the two neighborhoods on each side of the site of the housing development — Park Versailles[5] and Westchester Heights.

[8] The Parkchester residential development was originally designed and operated as a self-contained rental community for middle-class white families new to home ownership.

MetLife chairman Frederick H. Ecker said that black renters were excluded because "Negroes and whites don't mix.

"[9] It was built from 1939 to 1942 (despite emergency building restrictions during World War II) on the farmland of the New York Catholic Protectory, a home for orphaned and troubled boys conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which relocated to Lincolndale, Westchester County, where it still exists.

[12] In August 2024, the New York City Council voted to rezone 46 city blocks in Parkchester, Van Nest, and Morris Park, around the Metro-North Railroad's Parkchester/Van Nest and Morris Park stations, as part of the Penn Station Access project.

[15][16] Based on data from the 2020 United States Census, the population of the Parkchester neighborhood tabulation area was 33,602, an increase of 3,781 (12.7%) from the 29,821 counted in 2010.

Parkchester also is home to a large and longstanding population of Puerto Ricans, like Luis R. Sepulveda who represents the area in the New York State Assembly and has his office on Westchester Avenue.

The resident population of the Parkchester apartment complex reflects a broad age distribution and the changing ethnic makeup of the Bronx.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Bronx Community District 9 is considered low-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying.

Points of interest include: A prominent feature of Parkchester is the Bangla Bazaar located throughout Olmstead Ave., Odell St., Purdy St., and Castle Hill Ave.

[37] Among the nine sculptors on the project were Raymond Granville Barger, Joseph Kiselewski, Carl Schmitz and Theodore Barbarossa.

[36] In the Aileen B. Ryan Oval, a fountain named Fantasia, created by Barger, was installed in 1941 and is often the backdrop of photographs.

[36] Parkchester and the rest of Bronx Community District 9 is patrolled by the 43rd Precinct of the NYPD, located at 900 Fteley Avenue.

In 2022 Parkchester public safety officers became Special Patrolmen and amended their uniforms and logo to match such change.

The exercise of this authority is limited to the employee's geographical area of employment and only while such employee is working as listed defined in Chapter 13 subsection (C):..[40] all special patrolmen are prohibited to represent themself as a Police Officer as listed and defined in Special partolmen chapter 13 section 13-05 (conduct) and new york state penal law 190.25.

Parkchester special patrolmen are issued a pistol license by the New York City Police Department and carry a firearm while performing their duties only.

[21]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Parkchester and Clason Point is 0.0076 milligrams per cubic metre (7.6×10−9 oz/cu ft), more than the city average.

Although a fountain located in the Metropolitan Oval and featuring a whimsical bronze sculpture by Raymond Granville Barger was initially suspected as the source of the outbreak, New York City health officials later determined that it was linked to infected cooling towers in the area.

[46] Parkchester and Clason Point generally have a similar rate of college-educated residents to the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[21]: 6  The percentage of Parkchester and Clason Point students excelling in math rose from 23% in 2000 to 44% in 2011, and reading achievement increased from 27% to 30% during the same time period.

[47] Parkchester and Clason Point's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is higher than the rest of New York City.

[22]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [21]: 6  Additionally, 69% of high school students in Parkchester and Clason Point graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.