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This park honors Patricia Brackley (1940-1999), a dedicated gardener and local volunteer. Born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Brackley graduated from Indiana’s Purdue University in 1961 and moved to New York to work as a schoolteacher. In her spare time, Brackley served as president of the Shore Garden Club of Belle Harbor and Neponsit in the Rockaways and as vice-president of Read more...
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Originally named after the nearby Cross Island Parkway, this playground now honors the memory of community activist Pat Williams (1936-1990). Pat Williams was born in Santa Rosa, California in 1936. After attending a local high school she obtained a degree as a registered nurse. She traveled around the country with her husband, who was in the Air Force, before finally Read more...
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La Guardia Airport honors former New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882-1947). La Guardia, the son of a United States Army bandleader, was born in Manhattan’s Little Italy at 177 Sullivan Street. He received his law degree from New York University, was admitted to the bar in 1910, and became the nation’s first Italian-American Congressman in 1916. La Read more...
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Queens’ last one-room schoolhouse occupied this site from the time of its construction in 1879 until its demolition to make room for a public park in 1934. The park was named under a local law introduced by Councilmembers John D. Sabini and Helen M. Marshall, approved by the City Council, and signed into law by Mayor Giuliani in 1996. Compulsory Read more...
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The son of Irish immigrants, Andrew Jackson was born in the uncharted Carolinas. Jackson’s father died before his son’s birth, and his mother and brother were both killed during the Revolutionary War. Jackson fought in the Revolution as well, spending time as a prisoner of war before its conclusion. In 1788, he became a prosecuting attorney in the western district Read more...
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This playground takes its name from the northeastern Queens neighborhood in which it stands. The neighborhood of Oakland Gardens is bounded to the north by 48th Avenue, to the east by Alley Pond Park, to the south by Union Turnpike, and to the west by Cunningham Park. John Hicks, who was given one of the first grants of Dutch land Read more...
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Christopher J. O’Sullivan (1936-1965) was born and raised in Astoria, not far from this triangular plaza at Astoria Boulevard, 25th Avenue, and 88th Street. He attended Immaculate Conception School in Astoria, graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan in 1954, and enrolled in the ROTC program at Fordham University. After receiving his B.A. in 1958, O’Sullivan was commissioned a second Read more...
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The 450 members of the Quercus genus make up the trees that are commonly known as oaks. The genus is found mainly in the North Temperate Zone and higher altitudes of the tropics. The species of oak most prevalent in North America are the Pin oak (Q. palustris), Red oak (Q. rubris), and White oak (Q. alba). Some oaks are Read more...
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The Queens Department of Parks acquired this property on December 2, 1914 at which time the land served as a ‘town commons’ or ‘green’ for the neighborhood. In 1936, under the leadership of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981), a portion of the park was developed for the purpose of creating a more active recreation site for children. At that time, Read more...
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The Triborough Bridge’s 13,829 feet of roadway viaduct, which runs over three steel bridges, spans the waters between Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Edward A. Byrne, the chief engineer of the City Department of Plant and Structures, first announced plans for connecting the three boroughs in 1916, but the project did not receive funding until 1925. Construction of the bridge, Read more...
