- City:
- Fresh Meadows, New York City, Queens, NY
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Playgrounds
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1941
- Completed:
- 1942
Description
In Sept. 1941 the New York Times described a playground being constructed by the WPA in Queens at “Utopia Parkway and Seventy-third Avenue.” This site, Utopia Playground, is still in use today.
New York City’s Parks Department writes: “Utopia Playground was opened on January 1, 1942. Parks acquired the majority of the site, which was formerly the home of an old country school, on March 7, 1940. The remaining portion was obtained on January 7, 1941 by condemnation and immediately became part of the original Parks property. In 1943, Local Law 32 gave the playground its current name.”
Source notes
"Central Park Area to Be Improved For Benefit of Harlem Residents"; The New York Times, Sept. 22, 1941 NYC Parks - Utopia Playground Department of Parks, Press Release, July 10, 1942Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on April 15, 2014.
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