Beach 59th Street Playground

What was here before?
The name Rockaway was probably derived from the Delaware or Chippewa Native American words for sandy place (lekau akie). Another possible interpretation is "Reckonwacky", which translates to "the place of our own people". The region became known as Rockaway after it was colonized by Europeans during the seventeenth century.

This mostly barren land was deeded by the original inhabitants, the Canarsie tribe, to English Captain, John Palmer, in 1685. Palmer sold the land in 1687 to a prominent ironmaster from Long Island—Richard Cornell, whose descendant Ezra founded Cornell University in 1865.

The Cornell family owned the land until 1808, when it was partitioned into 46 parcels that were eventually sold. In 1833, following an outbreak of cholera, a group of wealthy New Yorkers organized to purchase much of the property and build exclusive resorts as an escape from disease. By 1864, ferry service began, transporting inhabitants from Canarsie to the seaside in Rockaway. The introduction of rail service to the peninsula after 1869 further hastened development of hotels and summer residences there.

This property was owned by Sidell Tilghman (1849-1927) from 1883 to 1890 before selling to the Arverne Improvement Company who laid out some of the streets we see today.

How did this site become a playground?
This property was acquired by the City in 1944 and assigned to NYC Parks in 1957.

In 1964, the City Planning Commission designated this area as an “urban renewal area”, but it remained vacant until 2000 when the Briarwood Organization started to build homes, Waters Edge, between Beach 59th and 61st streets.

The site was a parking lot for beach goers starting in 1950 and was subsequently built up as a park. In 2023 Beach 59 Street Playground was completely rebuilt, bringing a mix of new and redesigned playground equipment to expand play opportunities for children of varying ages and abilities. The new spray shower area was also completely upgraded and redesigned, allowing expanded ADA access, and a new shade structure was installed to provide much-needed shade for parents, caregivers, and other park visitors on hot summer days. A new ADA accessible ramp was built at the Beach 60th Street entrance to accommodate individuals with impaired mobility and parents with strollers.

Thursday, Apr 04, 2024