Castlewood Playground

What was here before?
This site was once part of a large parcel of land owned by John Harrison, who sold it to Dutch settler Elbert Adriance in 1697. It was operated as farmland by Adriance’s descendants for over a century and passed through the hands of several owners throughout the 19th century. Real estate developer Pauline Reisman purchased this farmland in 1926, selling it a few months later to the State of New York. It became part of the Creedmoor State Hospital and provided rehabilitation opportunities for psychiatric patients and supplied the hospital with fruits, vegetables, and plants for the grounds of the nearby hospital. 

By 1950 a portion of the farm had been sold to the developers of the adjacent Parkwood Estates cooperative (formerly known as the Grand Central Apartments). At that time, the site of this playground was vacant. Part of the original Adriance farm, including an 18th century farmhouse, still exists today as the Queens County Farm Museum. The museum became a New York City Landmark in 1976 and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1979.

How did this site become a playground?
This site was assigned to the Board of Education in 1949 for the construction of a new school and playground, which opened in 1954. This playground is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving P.S. 186 The Castlewood School and the local community. Beginning in 1938, the Board of Education (now the Department of Education) agreed to provide land next to schools where NYC Parks could build and maintain playgrounds that could be used by the school during the day and by the public when school is not in session.

The playground is situated on either side of the school. The eastern portion contains play equipment, a public restroom, and a 60-by-40-foot mini in-ground pool. In 2000, a project renovated the sidewalks lining the playground and built a retaining wall around the site’s pool. Construction in the western portion in 2022 transformed a largely empty blacktop play area, reconstructed the handball courts and added a junior basketball court and two basketball half courts and several painted features including areas for soccer, baseball, and kickball, a walking path, and game area that includes a painted maze.

What is this playground named for?
The playground shares its name with the adjacent school.