- City:
- New York City, Queens, Woodside, NY
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Playgrounds, Athletic Courts and Fields
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Completed:
- 1937
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
This small park in Queens was acquired by the City in December 1936. Less than a year later, in October 1937, Parks announced the opening of a new playground on the site:
“[T]he new playground is equipped with swings, see-saws, slides; playhouses, horizontal bars and ladders. A rectangular wading pool which is encircled by an oval shaped roller skating track, handball courts and a large play area for soft ball games, have also been provided. Shade trees which have been planted around the perimeter of the entire area and permanent concrete benches complete the design.”
Although the 1937 press release does not mention which New Deal relief agencies were involved, 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.
Originally known as Thomson Hill Park, it was renamed for war hero Thomas P. Noonan on May 14, 1996. It was renovated in 2000.
Source notes
Department of Parks, Press Release, October 26, 1937 New York City Parks Department New Deal Projects 1934-43 NYC Parks - L/Cpl. Thomas P. Noonan PlaygroundSite originally submitted by Frank da Cruz on November 2, 2016.
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