Betsy Head Park

Last updated

Betsy Head Park
Betsy Head Play Center, Hopkinson and Livonia Ave., Brooklyn, New York. LOC gsc.5a03418.jpg
Exterior of the Betsy Head Play Center
Betsy Head Park
Location Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York
Coordinates 40°39′48″N73°54′45″W / 40.66333°N 73.91250°W / 40.66333; -73.91250
Area10.55 acres (4.27 ha)
Created1915
Operated by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Open6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Statusopen
DesignatedSeptember 16, 2008 [1]
Reference no.2246 [1]
Designated entityBathhouse facade and pool

Betsy Head Park is a 10.55-acre (4.27 ha) public park in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The park occupies two non-contiguous plots diagonally across from each other at the intersection of Dumont Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street, covering a collective 10.55 acres (4.27 ha). The modern-day park contains a playground, a swimming complex, and fields for baseball, football, tennis, and basketball. The park's swimming complex, the Betsy Head Play Center, was designed by Ely Jacques Kahn and consists of a bathhouse, a general swimming pool, and an infilled diving pool. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

Contents

The construction of the park was funded by Betsy Head, a rich Briton who died in 1907. Plans for Betsy Head Park were completed in 1914 by Henry Beaumont Herts, and the park opened on September 30, 1915, with a bathhouse and a pool complex. The current Art Moderne style pool was built by Aymar Embury II and John Matthews Hatton during a Works Progress Administration project in 1935–1936. The bathhouse was not originally set to be renovated, unlike at other city parks with large pools, but it was rebuilt following a 1937 fire. The park's facilities were renovated from 1979 to 1983 and again in the late 2010s. The Betsy Head Play Center was designated as a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2008.

Recreation fields

Betsy Head Park is in two non-contiguous plots of unequal size, diagonally across the intersection of Dumont Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street. [2] [3] The park's recreational facilities include three baseball fields, two football fields, eight tennis courts, and six basketball courts. The football fields and four of the basketball courts overlap with the baseball fields and cannot be utilized when the baseball field is in use. [4]

The larger plot, at the southwestern corner of Dumont Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street, measures 8.262 acres (33,440 m2) [5] and is bounded by Thomas S. Boyland Street to the east, Dumont Avenue to the north, Livonia Avenue to the south, and Strauss Street to the west. [2] The plot measures 500 feet (150 m) along the western and eastern boundaries and 720 feet (220 m) on the northern and southern boundaries. It occupies three typical city blocks. [3] Before 2021, the western two-thirds of the larger plot contained two baseball fields, an overlapping football field, and eight handball courts and one basketball court on the southern border of the plot. [4] In 2021, four of the handball courts were replaced with a full basketball court, and two handball courts were built in another part of the plot. [6] A four-lane running track and a synthetic turf field were also added during the 2021 renovation, within what was previously the baseball and football field. [6] [7] [8]

A smaller plot exists at the northeastern corner of Dumont Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street. This plot, measuring 2.293 acres (0.928 ha), [5] is bounded by Blake Avenue to the north, Bristol Street to the east, Dumont Avenue to the south, and Thomas S. Boyland Street to the west. [2] The plot measures 500 feet (150 m) along the western and eastern boundaries and 200 feet (61 m) on the northern and southern boundaries. It occupies one typical city block. [3] Before 2021, this section of the park contained another baseball field with overlapping football field and four overlapping basketball courts; one non-overlapping basketball court; and four tennis courts. [4] One early feature in the smaller plot was a farmhouse and rest station with a "model kitchen", which in turn was adjacent to a small urban farm with 500 plots for schoolchildren to tend. [3] During the 2021 renovation, a skate park, parkour course, and event area was added. [6] [7] [8]

Betsy Head Play Center

Original facilities

The original facilities were modeled after Armour Square Park in Chicago. [9] The western two-thirds of Betsy Head Park's larger southwestern section was originally designed with a 15,000-to-20,000-capacity stadium containing a running track. A two-story field house, measuring 25 by 100 feet (7.6 by 30.5 m), was just east of the stadium. The field house contained restroom facilities on the ground floor, and 25 club-rooms and 25 lockers on the second floor, [3] as well as space for special events. [9] Gymnasiums for men and women were to the north and south of the field house, each with numerous indoor recreation facilities for basketball, handball, tennis, and other sports. [3]

The eastern third of the park's southwestern section contained a swimming pool and bathhouse. The original swimming pool was described as being 150 by 60 feet (46 by 18 m) with the long edge being parallel to the eastern boundary of the park's larger plot. The original bath building was composed of two portions, one wing each to the north and south, just east of the swimming pool. The bathhouse could accommodate 400 people per hour or 4,000 per day, and a boiler room and towel room was in the basement. [3]

Current modernist design

The structure had to be adaptable to a multiplicity of uses: hence the locker rooms can become basketball courts in winter; the roof is a stadium for viewing water pageants held in the pool. [...] Above all, the building is intended for enjoyable use.

Ely Jacques Kahn, Architectural Record , September 1941 [10]

The replacement bathhouse was designed in the Art Moderne style, similar to the Astoria Play Center, in Astoria, Queens. [11] The building was upheld by the architect Ely Jacques Kahn as being "above all...intended for enjoyable use", [10] while parks commissioner Robert Moses called its plans "better than that adopted in any of the existing pools". [11] On the other hand, Embury, known to be a traditionalist in his designs, criticized the style. He once said of modernist architects: "They leave off all ornamentation because, they say, the ornaments do not aid the structure to do its job." [11] Architectural historian Robert A. M. Stern said the Betsy Head Play Center was "perhaps the most inventive and most overtly Modernist structure" of the WPA bathhouses erected by the New York City government. [12]

Unlike its counterparts around the city, the Betsy Head Play Center never contained a wading pool. It included a main swimming pool, as well as a diving pool that was later filled in. [13]

Bathhouse

The bathhouse is in Betsy Head Park's southwestern section, with its main entrance along Thomas S. Boyland Street to the east. The eastern facade consists mostly of glass-bricked walls set into a bonded brick wall, which correspond to the walls of the locker rooms inside. Stone coping is at the bottom and top of the facade, and a metal railing is above the stone coping at the top, serving as the handrail for the rooftop deck. [14] [12] The facade was built with materials that could not be easily stolen. [15] The central section of the facade contains the building's main entrance, which is flanked by a curving glass brick wall on either side, and is accessed by a flight of four steps and a wheelchair ramp on the northern side of the steps. [14] The western facade, adjacent to the pool, is similar to the eastern facade, but has two steps up from the pool area to the lobby. The curving glass wall on the northern side of the western facade was replaced for the installation of an elevator, and a wheelchair ramp extends along the southern half of the western facade. [14]

Bleachers on the roof of the bathhouse Betsy Head Play Center, Hopkinson and Livonia Ave., Brooklyn, New York. LOC gsc.5a03434.jpg
Bleachers on the roof of the bathhouse

The lobby is in the central section of the bathhouse, separating the men's and women's locker rooms to the north and south, respectively. There are no walls or doorways to the west or east, allowing the facade to be lit naturally. Rather, roll-down metal gates are across the western and eastern entrances. The lobby contains a bluestone-tiled floor, while the white-plaster ceiling contains stepped concentric squares, with the innermost squares being slightly higher. [16] A circular brick column rises through the center of the lobby. [17] [16] A ticket booth was in the lobby, but is no longer operational, as the pool and bathhouse are free to use. [14] There are plaster-and-marble walls separating the lobby from each locker room and various smaller rooms such as the office area to the south and the first-aid room to the north. Above the doorways to each room are Art Deco-style letters indicating the room's purpose, such as the words "MEN" and "WOMEN" above the respective genders' locker rooms. There are metal double-doors leading to each of the locker room areas. [14]

The locker rooms contained several hundred lockers each and are outfitted with concrete floors and brick-with-terracotta walls. The locker rooms are designed with waterproof stepped ceilings similar to the lobby, and as a result, the acoustic quality of the locker rooms is weak. [17] During winters, each locker room could be converted to gym facilities for each gender. [10] The identical shower rooms, at the opposite end of the locker rooms, also contain entrances from the pool area to the west. The pool entrances are recessed into the building, and are flanked by curved walls with cinder blocks that are designed similarly to the original glass blocks. The letters "MEN" and "WOMEN" are also above these entrances. [14]

Above the building is a rooftop observation deck, accessed by stairs to the south and north of the bathhouse. The deck was shaded by a canopy supported by eight metal-clad parabolic arches, and there were concrete bleachers underneath the canopy. [14] [12] The roof is closed to the public. [16]

Pool

Overview of the pool from the roof Betsy Head Play Center, Hopkinson and Livonia Ave., Brooklyn, New York. LOC gsc.5a03435.jpg
Overview of the pool from the roof

The pool area is west of the bathhouse, taking up much of the block between Livonia Avenue to the south and Dumont Avenue to the north. [16] The main pool is rectangular, measuring 330 by 165 feet (101 by 50 m) with the longer axis running north–south, [14] [18] and has a depth of 4.25 feet (1.30 m). [18] A cement deck surrounds the pool and is encircled by a chain link fence. Two small islands are in the center of the pool and contain triangular-capped filtration systems. Until the pool was renovated in the early 1980s, these islands contained fountains. [16]

The diving pool was south of the main pool. After it was infilled in 2005–2006, the space has contained a volleyball court. [14] A storage area used by NYC Parks is on the east side of the pool area. [13]

Concrete bleachers, along with a filter house, were on the southern side of the pool area adjacent to the volleyball court. The concrete bleachers were built with the original bathhouse in 1917 and were surrounded by a wall made of Flemish bond brickwork. The space underneath the bleachers contained five circular windows facing toward Livonia Avenue to the south. [13] The bleacher was replaced with a new entrance in 2021. [6] A two-story brick filter house is to the west and contains a metal doorway and short flight of steps that leads to Livonia Avenue. The former bleachers and filter house area are surrounded by a chain link fence. [13]

History

Early history

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brownsville was a densely populated Jewish neighborhood. [19] [20] An estimated 25,000 people lived in Brownsville by 1900, many of whom lived in severely overcrowded tenements. [21] The neighborhood had little open space, and a local group, the Hebrew Educational Society, recommended the establishment of a public park within Brownsville. [19] Furthermore, Brooklyn in general had very few playgrounds: by the time Betsy Head Park was approved in 1913, there were only eight playgrounds in Brooklyn. [9]

Betsy Head, a rich Briton, died in 1907. [22] Head's $365,000 estate (equivalent to $11,936,000in 2023) was divided almost equally between facilities for New York City parks and various city charities; Head's daughter received only $5 (equivalent to $164in 2023), as she disliked that her daughter had married a foreman. [5] [23] As part of Head's will, $190,000 (equivalent to $6,213,000in 2023) was allocated to New York City park facilities. [2] [23] The sum allocated to Betsy Head Park in Brooklyn was originally allocated for a park of the same name at Corlears Hook in the Lower East Side. [5] [24] The money was never used for this purpose, so in early 1913 some Brownsville residents asked the New York City Comptroller, William A. Prendergast, for the use of the funds for their own park. This caused controversy, as the land under the proposed park would be funded by a tax paid by landowners in the surrounding community, some of whom opposed paying said tax. [25] In July 1913, the city approved the acquisition of the parkland. [26] [27] The land under the Betsy Head Playground was purchased for $240,000 (equivalent to $7,399,000in 2023) and paid-for by Brownsville landowners living within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the site. [9] The playground's facilities were funded by the estate of Betsy Head. [2] [9] [19]

Plans for Betsy Head Park were completed in May 1914 by Henry Beaumont Herts, who proposed to include numerous facilities in each section of the park. The larger section would be composed of wading and swimming pools, a bathhouse, a running track, and tennis courts. The smaller section would comprise an administration building, a rest pavilion, a playground, and a garden for schoolchildren. [2] [3] This would help make Betsy Head Park into "one of the finest in the world". [9] Betsy Head Park opened on September 30, 1915. [28] The park contained a stadium with a running track, and a two-story field house with capacity for 4,000 people per day. [3] [9] As the only play area in the neighborhood, it was "overcrowded" upon opening. [29] In the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, Betsy Head Park's design received first prize in the New York City Parks portion of the competition. [2] [19]

Works Progress Administration renovation

Pool area, seen in 1939 Betsy Head Play Center, Hopkinson and Livonia Ave., Brooklyn, New York. LOC gsc.5a03429.jpg
Pool area, seen in 1939

In 1934, mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia nominated Robert Moses to become commissioner of a unified New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. At the time, the United States was experiencing the Great Depression; immediately after La Guardia won the 1933 election, Moses began to write "a plan for putting 80,000 men to work on 1,700 relief projects". [30] [31] By the time he was in office, several hundred such projects were underway across the city. [32]

Moses was especially interested in creating new pools and other bathing facilities, such as those in Jacob Riis Park, Jones Beach, and Orchard Beach. [12] [33] He devised a list of 23 pools around the city, including one at Betsy Head Park. [34] [35] The pools would be built using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created as part of the New Deal to combat the Depression's negative effects. [33] [36] Eleven of these pools were to be designed concurrently and open in 1936. Moses, along with architects Aymar Embury II and Gilmore David Clarke, created a common design for these proposed aquatic centers. Each location was to have distinct pools for diving, swimming, and wading; bleachers and viewing areas; and bathhouses with locker rooms that could be used as gymnasiums. The pools were to have several common features, such as a minimum 55-yard (50 m) length, underwater lighting, heating, filtration, and low-cost construction materials. To fit the requirement for cheap materials, each building would be built using elements of the Streamline Moderne and Classical architectural styles. The buildings would also be near "comfort stations", additional playgrounds, and spruced-up landscapes. [37] [38] [39]

Construction for some of the 11 pools began in October 1934. [40] [38] Even though there was already a pool at Betsy Head Park, Moses described its existing pool facilities as "an antiquated tank" that contained no filtration facilities; he proposed to refurbish it entirely as part of the WPA initiative. [19] [20] The existing field house largely remained intact, except for some modifications to make way for an enlarged pool. The field house's lockers were replaced by baskets, and its interior was expanded so that 4,660 bathers per day could use the facilities, rather than 4,000. [41] By mid-1936, ten of the eleven WPA-funded pools were completed and were being opened at a rate of one per week. [33] Except for the Betsy Head Pool, each opening featured elaborate performances attended by La Guardia. [41] Betsy Head Park's pool was the ninth to open citywide. [42] [43] [lower-alpha 1] On August 7, 1936, Betsy Head Park's pool area opened without any ceremony or the mayor in attendance; over eight hundred children spread the news of the opening by word of mouth. The opening was arranged at the last minute, and the diving and wading pools were not yet complete. [44] [45] [46]

In September 1936, work started on converting the main pool to winter use, with workers temporarily draining the pool and adding basketball, handball, shuffleboard, tennis, and volleyball facilities. [41] The original bathhouse was destroyed by fire on August 17, 1937, [47] [48] [49] and the pool was closed for the rest of the season. [50] Park commissioner Moses's letter to La Guardia, addressed three days later, advocated for the total replacement of the bathhouse. [41] The pool area was reopened for the 1938 season, [51] with a temporary one-story structure that housed the showers. The current one-story bathhouse was opened on May 27, 1939. [41] [49] By 1941, the other athletic facilities in the larger southwestern portion of the park were nearly complete. [52]

A new indoor playground in Betsy Head Park, to serve as a community recreation center during the winter, was announced in May 1948 and was supposed to begin the next year. [53] However, by mid-1949 construction still had not started. [54] A running track was opened at Betsy Head Park in 1952, one of eighteen opened citywide. [55] The rest of the indoor Betsy Head Recreation Center was removed from the NYC Parks budget, and the money was instead allocated to the Brownsville Boys Club, which the city acquired in 1954. [56] In the mid-20th century, Brownsville became a mostly African American neighborhood, [20] [57] and Betsy Head Park's patrons came to include boxer Riddick Bowe, who lived in Brownsville. [58] [59] Despite segregation being present at comparable facilities at the time, African American and white children and adults used the facilities without any conflict. [60]

Decline and renovations

View of the main pool Betsy Head Play Center. LOC gsc.5a30640.jpg
View of the main pool

Over the years, multiple children and young adults have drowned at Betsy Head Pool. For instance, a 7-year-old boy drowned in 1947, [61] and a 4-year-old boy also drowned in 1988. [62] A third child, a 4-year-old girl drowned in the pool in 1995, despite the presence of ten lifeguards. [63] The drowning of the 4-year-old girl resulted in greater scrutiny, especially due to the lack of lifeguards around the pool, [64] and resulted in the implementation of more stringent rules the following season, wherein kids under a certain height had to be accompanied by guardians. [65] In 1999, an 18-year-old woman also drowned in the pool. [66]

By the 1970s, Betsy Head Park and other city parks were in poor condition following the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, and were widely seen as being unsafe. NYC Parks commenced a project to restore the pools in several parks in 1977, including at Betsy Head Park. [58] In 1979, the agency set aside an estimated $5.2 million for the restoration of Betsy Head Park. [58] The renovation of Betsy Head Park was approved in January 1981, [67] despite a shortage of employees in general across the NYC Parks system. [58] [68] The diving and swimming pools were rebuilt, the bathhouse was retrofitted with handicapped-accessible locker rooms, and the other recreational facilities in Betsy Head Park were rebuilt. [58] The reconstructed park reopened on June 28, 1983. [69]

NYC Parks continued to face financial shortfalls in the coming years, and the pools retained a reputation for high crime. [11] For the summer of 1991, mayor David Dinkins had planned to close all 32 outdoor pools in the city, a decision that was only reversed after a $2 million donation from a trust created upon the death of real estate developer Sol Goldman [70] and $1.8 million from other sources. [11] To prevent nighttime trespassing, NYC Parks added a heavy steel fence in 1993, which was attached to the existing chain-link fence around the pool. [71] Additionally, in the 1990s, a practice called "whirlpooling" became common in New York City pools such as Betsy Head Park, wherein women would be inappropriately fondled by teenage boys. [72] [73] By the beginning of the 21st century, crimes such as sexual assaults had decreased in parks citywide due to increased security. [11] In 2008, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Betsy Head Play Center a landmark, making it the first individual landmark in Brownsville. [74] The commission had previously considered the pool for landmark status in 1990, along with the other ten WPA pools in the city. [75] [76]

Prototype designs for the construction of Betsy Head Playground were unveiled in 2009. [77] The Rockwell Group was selected to design the play area. [78] In early 2016, the playground inside the park was renovated for $5.05 million, with an "Imagination Playground" surrounded by a 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) wooden pathway. The new play area, which features movable foam play blocks, is based on the group's Burling Slip playground in Lower Manhattan. [77] Later that year, $30 million was allocated for further improvements to the park's recreational facilities as part of the city's Anchor Parks program. [79] [80] Work on these improvements commenced in 2019. [81] [82] The first phase of the renovation, consisting of renovations to the playground and adjacent recreational areas, was finished in June 2020 for $7 million. The second phase, composed of further recreational additions, was completed in April 2021 for $23 million, though some improvements were not completed until early 2022. [83] [84]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside Park (Manhattan)</span> Public park in New York City

Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park in the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The park measures 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 100 to 500 feet wide, running between the Hudson River and Henry Hudson Parkway to the west and the serpentine Riverside Drive to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Moses</span> American urban planner (1888–1981)

Robert Moses was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential people in the history of New York City and New York State. The grand scale of his infrastructure projects and his philosophy of urban development influenced a generation of engineers, architects, and urban planners across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Park (Brooklyn)</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Prospect Park is a 526-acre (2.13 km2) urban park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, and Windsor Terrace, and is adjacent to the Brooklyn Museum, Grand Army Plaza, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With an area of 526 acres (213 ha), Prospect Park is the second-largest public park in Brooklyn, behind Marine Park. Designated as a New York City scenic landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Prospect Park is operated by the Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canarsie, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Canarsie is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Avenue; on the southwest by Paerdegat Basin; and on the south by Jamaica Bay. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of East Flatbush to the west, Flatlands and Bergen Beach to the southwest, Starrett City to the east, East New York to the northeast, and Brownsville to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morningside Park (Manhattan)</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Morningside Park is a 30-acre (12-hectare) public park in Upper Manhattan, New York City. The park is bounded by 110th Street to the south, 123rd Street to the north, Morningside Avenue to the east, and Morningside Drive to the west. A cliff made of Manhattan schist runs through the park and separates Morningside Heights, above the cliff to the west, from Harlem. The park includes other rock outcroppings; a human-made ornamental pond and waterfall; three sculptures; several athletic fields; playgrounds; and an arboretum. Morningside Park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, although the group Friends of Morningside Park helps maintain it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeplechase Park</span> Former amusement park in New York City

Steeplechase Park was an amusement park that operated in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, United States, from 1897 to 1964. Steeplechase Park was created by the entrepreneur George C. Tilyou as the first of the three large amusement parks built on Coney Island, the other two being Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Of the three, Steeplechase was the longest-lasting, running for 67 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownsville, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsie to the south; and East Flatbush to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Park Zoo</span> Zoo in Brooklyn, New York

The Prospect Park Zoo is a 12-acre (4.9 ha) zoo located off Flatbush Avenue on the eastern side of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City. As of 2016, the zoo houses 864 animals representing about 176 species, and as of 2007, it averaged 300,000 visitors annually. The Prospect Park Zoo is operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In conjunction with the Prospect Park Zoo's operations, the WCS offers children's educational programs, is engaged in restoration of endangered species populations, runs a wildlife theater, and reaches out to the local community through volunteer programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orchard Beach (Bronx)</span> Public beach in the Bronx, New York

Orchard Beach is the only public beach in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The 115-acre (47 ha), 1.1-mile-long (1.8 km) beach is part of Pelham Bay Park and is situated on the western end of Long Island Sound. The beach consists of a 13-section sandy shorefront, a hexagonal-block promenade, and a central pavilion with food stores and specialty shops. The recreational facilities include two playgrounds, two picnic areas, a large parking lot, and 26 courts for basketball, volleyball, and handball. It is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCarren Park</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

McCarren Park is a public park in Brooklyn, New York City. It is located on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and is bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard Street, Lorimer Street and North 12th Street. The park contains facilities for recreational softball, volleyball, soccer, handball, and other games. It is also used for sunbathing and dog-walking. It also includes the McCarren Play Center, which consists of a recreation center and a pool. McCarren Park is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Hook Park</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Red Hook Recreation Area, also known as Red Hook Park, is a 58.5-acre (237,000 m2) public park in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, composed of several segments centered around Bay Street. The park's recreational facilities include handball courts, softball fields, a soccer and football field, and a running track. The Sol Goldman Play Center, within the block bounded by Bay, Henry, Lorraine and Clinton Streets, consists of a brick bathhouse and two pools. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highbridge Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Highbridge Park is a public park on the western bank of the Harlem River in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It stretches between 155th Street and Dyckman Street in Upper Manhattan. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The City maintains the southern half of the park, while the northern half is maintained by the non-profit New York Restoration Project. Prominent in the park are the Manhattan end of the High Bridge, the High Bridge Water Tower, and the Highbridge Play Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astoria Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Astoria Park is a 59.96-acre (24.26 ha) public park in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The park is situated on the eastern shore of the Hell Gate, a strait of the East River, between Ditmars Boulevard to the north and Hoyt Avenue to the south. The Robert F. Kennedy (Triborough) and Hell Gate Bridges respectively pass over the park's southern and northern sections. Astoria Park contains a playground, a soccer field, a running track, a skate park, and courts for tennis, basketball, and bocce. Astoria Park also includes the Astoria Play Center, which consists of a recreation center and a pool. The park and play center are maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Bridge Park</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre (34 ha) park on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City. Designed by landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the park is located on a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) plot of land from Atlantic Avenue in the south, under the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and past the Brooklyn Bridge, to Jay Street north of the Manhattan Bridge. From north to south, the park includes the preexisting Empire–Fulton Ferry and Main Street Parks; the historic Fulton Ferry Landing; and Piers 1–6, which contain various playgrounds and residential developments. The park also includes Empire Stores and the Tobacco Warehouse, two 19th-century structures, and is a part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a series of parks and bike paths around Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crotona Park</span> Public park in the Bronx, New York

Crotona Park is a public park in the South Bronx in New York City, covering 127.5 acres (51.6 ha). The park is bounded by streets of the same name on its northern, eastern, southern, and western borders, and is adjacent to the Crotona Park East and Morrisania neighborhoods of the Bronx. It is divided into four portions by Claremont Parkway and Crotona Avenue, which run through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Fish Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Hamilton Fish Park is a public park in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The park encompasses two blocks bounded by Houston, Pitt, Sheriff, and Stanton Streets. It contains a playground, basketball courts, and an outdoor swimming complex with general swimming and wading pools. Hamilton Fish Park also includes a Beaux-Arts recreation center designed by Carrère and Hastings. It is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asser Levy Recreation Center</span> Recreation center in Manhattan, New York

The Asser Levy Recreation Center is a recreational facility in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, composed of the Asser Levy Public Baths and Asser Levy Playground. It is bounded by East 23rd Street to the south, East 25th Street to the north, and FDR Drive to the east. Along with the former Asser Levy Place to the west, it was named after Asser Levy, one of New York City's first Jewish citizens and a strong and influential advocate for civil liberties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Robinson Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Jackie Robinson Park is a public park in the Hamilton Heights and Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The approximately 12.77-acre (5.17 ha) park is bounded by Bradhurst Avenue to the east, 155th Street to the north, Edgecombe Avenue to the west, and 145th Street to the south. The park has baseball fields, basketball courts, restrooms, and a bandshell, which are arranged around the park's steep terrain. It also includes the Jackie Robinson Play Center, which consists of a recreation center and a pool. Jackie Robinson Park is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Park (Brooklyn park)</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Sunset Park is a 24.5-acre (9.9 ha) public park in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City, between 41st and 44th Streets and 5th and 7th Avenues. The modern-day park contains a playground, recreation center, and pool. The recreation center and pool comprise the Sunset Play Center, which was designated as both an exterior and interior landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jefferson Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Thomas Jefferson Park is a 15.52-acre (6.28 ha) public park in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The park is on First Avenue between 111th and 114th Streets. It contains a playground as well as facilities for baseball, basketball, football, handball, running, skating, and soccer. The Thomas Jefferson Play Center within the park consists of a recreation center and a pool. The park and play center, named for former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, are maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

References

Notes

Citations

  1. 1 2 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008, p. 1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Betsy Head Park". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "New Brownsville Playground Planned as Most Elaborate in City; Construction Will Start Soon on $200,000 Recreation Centre to Include Many Notable Features". The New York Times. May 17, 1914. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Field and Court Usage Report for Betsy Head Park : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 15.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The New Betsy Head Park Is a Pandemic-Friendly Retreat for Brooklynites". Metropolis. March 17, 2021. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Richling, Billy (February 5, 2021). "After $30-Million Renovation, Betsy Head Park in Brownsville Re-Opens to the Public". Bklyner. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Brooklyn's Betsy Head Park emerges from $30 million revamp with rich plantings and a parkour course". The Architect’s Newspaper. March 3, 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stevenson, Frederick Boyd (August 10, 1913). "Brownsville Leads Way for Playgrounds". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. pp.  19, 20 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  10. 1 2 3 Kahn 1941 , p. 84.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 11.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Patrick; Mellins, Thomas (1987). New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars . New York: Rizzoli. p. 717. ISBN   978-0-8478-3096-1. OCLC   13860977.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 14.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 12.
  15. Kahn 1941 , p. 85.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 13.
  17. 1 2 Kahn 1941 , p. 86.
  18. 1 2 Rein, Lisa (June 30, 1999). "Taking the plunge". New York Daily News. p. 164. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2021 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 2.
  20. 1 2 3 Gutman 2008 , p. 546.
  21. Thomas et al. 2002 , p. 13.
  22. "Mrs. Betsy Head Dead". The New York Times. June 15, 1907. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Daughter Gets $5 of $365,000 Estate; Mrs. Betsy Head, Housekeeper for John G. Taylor, Resented Her Marrying a Foreman". The New York Times. July 14, 1907. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  24. "Slot Machines May Go; Public Service Commission to Determine If They Are Subway Obstructions Betsy Head Cash for a Playground". The New York Times. December 3, 1908. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  25. "Playground Stirs Near Riot in Board". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 26, 1913. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  26. "Brownsville Gets Big Playground". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 31, 1913. p. 2. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  27. "Brownsville Playground". Brooklyn Times-Union. July 31, 1913. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  28. "Betsy Head's Gift Put to Public Use". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 30, 1915. p. 18. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  29. Thomas et al. 2002 , p. 16.
  30. Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , pp. 4–5.
  31. Rodgers 1952 , p. 82.
  32. Rodgers 1952 , p. 84.
  33. 1 2 3 Caro, Robert (1974). The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York . New York: Knopf. p. 456. ISBN   978-0-394-48076-3. OCLC   834874.
  34. "23 Bathing Pools Planned by Moses; Nine to Be Begun in a Month to Meet Shortage of Facilities Caused by Pollution" . The New York Times. July 23, 1934. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  35. "Public Swimming Facilities in New York City" (PDF) (Press release). New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. July 23, 1934. p. 3 (PDF p. 30). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  36. "City to Construct 9 Pools To Provide Safe Swimming". New York Daily News. July 23, 1934. p. 8. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2019 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  37. 1 2 "History of Parks' Swimming Pools". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  38. 1 2 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 7.
  39. Shattuck, Kathryn (August 14, 2006). "Big Chill of '36: Show Celebrates Giant Depression-Era Pools That Cool New York" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  40. "Park Work Is Begun on 2 Bathing Pools; Construction Under Way at High Bridge and Hamilton Fish -- 7 Others to Be Started Soon" (PDF). The New York Times. October 4, 1934. p. 48. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 8.
  42. Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , pp. 18.
  43. 1 2 Gutman 2008 , p. 555.
  44. "Hey! Skinny, the Pool's Open". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 7, 1936. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  45. "City Pool Is Opened Without Ceremonies; Project in Brownsville Just Lets Children Come and 800 of Them Respond". The New York Times. August 8, 1936. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  46. Gutman 2008 , pp. 546–547.
  47. "Kids Watch With Gloom as Fire Ruins Betsy Head Park Quarters". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 17, 1937. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  48. "Fire in Park Building". The New York Times. August 18, 1937. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  49. 1 2 Gutman 2008 , p. 547.
  50. "City Parks Show Gain in Public Use; Rise in Revenue Also Noted in Reports on 368 Tennis Courts, 10 Golf Courses, 2 Beaches". The New York Times. September 27, 1937. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  51. "12 Outdoor Pools Are Opened by City; Facilities Free to Children at Certain Hours--season to End on Labor Day the City Opens Its Swimming Pools to the Youngsters". The New York Times. May 29, 1938. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  52. "Park Is Nearing Completion". The New York Times. June 24, 1941. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  53. "City to Construct Indoor Play Area; First Project of Its Kind Here Planned for Brownsville Next Year, Moses Announces New Playground Opened Heckscher Foundation's Gift to Union Settlement House Praised by Commissioner". The New York Times. May 18, 1948. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  54. "City Envisages Recreation Centers to Replace 'Social' Clubs". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 26, 1949. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  55. "City to Open 18 Running Tracks" . The New York Times. April 7, 1952. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  56. "Moses Promises More Play Units; Says 6 Year-round Buildings and 37 Outdoor Areas Will Be Started in 1955" . The New York Times. September 20, 1954. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  57. Thomas et al. 2002 , p. 84.
  58. 1 2 3 4 5 Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 10.
  59. Anderson, Dave (November 15, 1992). "Sports of The Times; A Different Brownsville Champion" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  60. Gutman 2008 , pp. 548, 551.
  61. "Boy, 7, Drowns in Pool" . The New York Times. July 4, 1947. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  62. "Boy, 4, Drowns in Crowded Pool" . The New York Times. July 11, 1988. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  63. Nossiter, Adam (August 24, 1995). "Child Dies in Brooklyn Pool Amid 10 Lifeguards" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  64. Kennedy, Randy (August 25, 1995). "More Lifeguards Were Urged at Pool Where Girl, 5, Drowned" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  65. Herszenhorn, David M. (July 4, 1996). "For Pint-Size Swimmers, New Rules Are a Stretch" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  66. Jacobs, Andrew (July 8, 1999). "Woman, 18, Drowns in a City Pool in Brooklyn" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  67. "Park work approved". New York Daily News. January 19, 1981. p. 232. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  68. Carmody, Deirdre (March 15, 1981). "Parks Department to Start Hiring for First Time Since Fiscal Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  69. Seaton, Charles (June 29, 1983). "Renovated pool is open". New York Daily News. p. 89. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2019 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  70. "Donation Will Keep 32 Public Pools Open". The New York Times. May 16, 1991. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  71. Marriott, Michel (August 21, 1993). "The Lure of Splashes in the Night; With Safety in Mind, Parks Dept. Battles Young Trespassers". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  72. Marriott, Michel (July 7, 1993). "A Menacing Ritual Is Called Common in New York Pools" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  73. Terrazzano, Lauren (July 11, 1994). "Deep at City Pool; Sex harass is pervasive". New York Daily News. pp.  7, 20 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  74. Chan, Sewell (September 16, 2008). "Ex-Dog Biscuit Factory Is Among 5 Landmarks". City Room. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  75. Landmarks Preservation Commission 2008 , p. 1.
  76. Brozan, Nadine (July 30, 1990). "A Crumbling Pool Divides a Neighborhood" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  77. 1 2 Wachs, Audrey (April 20, 2016). "Rockwell Group–designed Imagination Playground opens in Brownsville, Brooklyn". The Architect's Newspaper. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  78. Dwyer, Jim (December 17, 2013). "In a Brooklyn Park Design, Movable Parts at Play". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  79. Neuman, William (August 18, 2016). "5 Neglected New York City Parks to Get $150 Million for Upgrades". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  80. "The Poor Get Richer: Brownsville Park is slated for a $30M makeover". Brooklyn Eagle. August 18, 2016. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  81. "NYC Parks Breaks Ground on $30 Million Anchor Parks Project at Betsy Head Park in Brownsville". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. March 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  82. "City breaks ground on $30M reconstruction of Betsy Head Park". News 12 Brooklyn. March 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  83. "Ribbon-Cutting Celebrates Second Phase Of Renovated Park". Canarsie Courier. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  84. "Betsy Head Park Begins Second Phase of Renovations Under Anchor Parks Initiative". CityLand. April 15, 2021. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2021.

Sources