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This site remembers the large carriages pulled by a team of horses through the city’s streets and the once nearby Maspeth Depot where they took on passengers, before the advent of the automobile. Horse cars played a vital role in the history of mass transportation in New York City and Long Island. In 1832, the New York and Harlem Rail Read more...
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Conrad Poppenhusen (1818-1883), entrepreneur and philanthropist, was born in Hamburg, Germany on April 1, 1818. After working for a whalebone merchant as a whalebone purchaser in Europe, Poppenhusen moved to the United States in 1843 to set up a whalebone processing plant on the Brooklyn waterfront. In 1852 he obtained a license from Charles Goodyear to manufacture hard rubber goods, Read more...
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This playground takes its name from the adjacent Pomonok Houses. Pomonok is a Native American word for the land that comprises eastern Long Island. The exact translation of Pomonok is unclear, but it means either “land of tribute” or “land where there is travelling by water.” Pomonok Houses were built on the site of the former Pomonok Country Club. Founded Read more...
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There are many different ways that a park can come into existence. Some, like Prospect Park, are carefully planned, immaculate visions of natural oases in urban settings. Others, like the whimsically named Planeview Park, are conceived out of happenstance or providence. Federal Aviation Administration regulations stipulate that airports are required to have a large, clear piece of land leading up Read more...
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From the time that this park opened in 1938, it has been known locally as Smokey Oval Park. In 1987, Parks officially named it Smokey Oval. The name refers to the park’s location, across from a Long Island Railroad terminus which once made it a landing area of soot and ash from the railway smoke. It is also inspired by Read more...
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Paul Raimonda (1922-1988), an outspoken community leader in Long Island City, Queens, was born in New York on July 5, 1922. Raimonda lived his entire life in Long Island City. He attended P.S. 126 and Bryant High School, and served for four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Both during his youth, when he was an Read more...
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This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park. This park honors Private William Earl Gray (1947-1967) who lived in Corona and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country during the Vietnam War. Born in Stanton, Tennessee, Gray had four sisters and five brothers. In 1956, the family moved to New York. Read more...
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This playground is named in honor of Nicholas DeMutiis (1962-1994), a dedicated police officer who worked in this neighborhood and died in the line of duty. On January 25, 1994, at about 11 pm, Officer DeMutiis was making his way to the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park, Queens, where he was scheduled to work the midnight to 8 am shift. Read more...
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This playground, originally called P.S. 166 Playground after the adjacent school, is today named after nearby 35th Avenue. Running from Ravenswood to Astoria, this roadway cuts through the famous Kaufman-Astoria studios, which have hosted productions from Sesame Street to Scent of a Woman. Before receiving its current neighborhood moniker, this area of Queens was titled Sunswick, derived from the Algonquin Read more...
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Peter’s Field, located between 20th and 21st streets and First and Second Avenues, is named for two of the city’s most prominent historical figures – Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672) and Peter Cooper (1791-1905). Nearby Stuyvesant Town, located between Avenue C and First Avenue from 14th to 20th Street, and Peter Cooper Village, located between Avenue C and First Avenue from 20th Read more...
