- City:
- New York City, Queens, South Ozone Park, NY
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Playgrounds, Athletic Courts and Fields
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Started:
- 1936
- Completed:
- 1937
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
NYC Parks describes the origins of this playground: “South Ozone Park grew into a bustling community, and the neighborhood’s many residents needed recreation space. Parks acquired the playground land in a purchase from William Zagarino in 1936, and soon after developed the area into a play space.”
Indeed, on April 3, 1937, the Department of Parks announced the completion of this new playground: “It has been equipped with swings, see-saws, slides, sand tables, play-houses and a wading pool for small children. Handball, shuffleboard and table tennis courts, a large play area with a soft ball diamond and an oval roller skating track has been constructed for older boys and girls.”
Although these sources do not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were carried out with New Deal funds and/or labor, and that after April 1935, the WPA quickly became the main source of this support.
The park was renovated in the 1980s and 1990s.
Source notes
NYC Parks - Frederick B. Judge Playground Department of Parks, Press Release, April 3, 1937 New York City Parks Department New Deal Projects 1934-43Site originally submitted by Frank da Cruz on October 22, 2016.
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