- City:
- Flushing, New York City, Queens, NY
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Paths and Trails, Comfort Stations (Restrooms), Playgrounds, Athletic Courts and Fields
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Started:
- 1937
- Completed:
- 1941
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Francis Lewis Park sits at the base of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge in Queens. The park was named after an American “merchant, patriot, and signer of the Declaration of Independence”(nycgovparks). Researcher Frank Da Cruz has compiled evidence of the WPA’s key role in developing this park:
Like Ferry Point park, Francis Lewis Park was part of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge construction project, 1937-41. A New York Parks City Department press release on April 25, 1940, confirms that it was built by the WPA:
The Department of Parks announces that exercises in connection with the dedication of Francis Lewis Park, Third Avenue and 147 Street, Whitestone, Queens, will take place on Friday, April 26, at 3:30 P.M.
Mayor LaGuardia, Borough President Harvey of Queens, Charles U. Powell, Engineer in charge of the Queens Topographical Bureau, and Major Edmond H. Leavey, Deputy Work Projects Administrator, will participate as speakers…
This ten acre park, fronting on the East River and acquired in part to provide the Queens terminus of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, has been developed mostly as a sitting park with winding paths and broad sloping lawns landscaped with trees and shrubbery. A playground with a brick comfort station, wading pool, handball courts, see-saws, slides, swings and a sand pit has been provided to care for the recreation needs of the neighborhood children…
The opening of these two areas designed by the Park Department and built by the Work Projects Administration makes a total of 323 new or reconstructed playgrounds completed by the Park Department since January 1, 1934. At that time there were 119 playgrounds in the five boroughs and at present there are 403.
Source notes
https://kermitproject.org/newdeal/francislewispark01.html New York Parks City Department press release on April 25, 1940 NYC Parks - Francis Lewis ParkSite originally submitted by Frank da Cruz on July 6, 2016.
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was there a waterfront before it became a park