Latham Park

43 Ave. bet. 66 St. and 67 St., BQE

Queens

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

The namesake of this small park is William H. Latham (1903-1987), Consulting Park Engineer under Robert Moses (1889-1981) and one of the few aides with whom Moses would directly interact. For forty years, Robert Moses served as the master builder of the City of New York. He played a primary role in the development of its parks, transportation, and housing. Beginning in 1924, he held a dozen city and state positions, many concurrently. Invested with this authority, Moses constructed 416 miles of highway, 13 bridges, 658 playgrounds, 17 miles of beach, 11 swimming pools, zoos, recreation centers, and ball fields, and more than doubled the city’s park acreage to 34,673 acres. Moses is remembered as the man who built the city that New York is today, and aides like Latham were integral to his success.

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