Hinton Park

This park honors Reverend George Warren Hinton (1880-1969), a dedicated pastor and active community member. Born in North Carolina, Hinton moved to Queens as a young man. There he served for 41 years as the reverend of the Corona Congregational Church. Much of his spare time was devoted to community service, particularly in the cause of health and social services.

Hinton was a distinguished member of the Queens Council for Social Welfare, where he served as both its vice-president and director during his 25 years there. He was an 18-year elected member of the Queens Tuberculosis and Health Association Council, and a first vice-president, secretary, and co-chairman of the Tuberculosis Christmas Seal Campaign. In addition, he was a member of the Queens Fair Employment Practices Against Discrimination, a moderator for the Home Missionary Committee of the New York Association of Congregational Churches, and a member of the lay board of Elmhurst City Hospital, where he had also served a term as chaplain.

Hinton received many certificates of appreciation in recognition of his devoted service to the community. Among these honors were awards from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman, and several awards from the State of New York.

The City acquired the Hinton Park land, bounded by Pell Avenue, 34th Avenue, and 113th and 114th Streets, on October 26, 1961. The land was intended for a Limited Division Housing Project by the name of Meadow Gardens. The project failed to receive approval, and the property was transferred to Parks. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority funded the construction of the park, which was a replacement for the nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Playground, eliminated for the widening of the Grand Central Parkway during the 1964 World’s Fair. A 1976 local law named the park in honor of Reverend Hinton.

The main section of Hinton Park lies across the street from P.S. 134, the Louis Armstrong School. It contains two large, green, open play areas, two baseball diamonds, game tables, benches, many trees, and a flagpole with a yardarm that flies the flags of the United States, the City of New York, and the Parks. In 1997, Council Member Helen M. Marshall funded a $628,159 reconstruction of the sitting areas at Hinton Park. In October 1999, the City added a nearby 0.06-acre triangle to the park. The refurbished park is an appropriate memorial to a man who spent his life working to improve the lives of all those around him.