Bellerose Playground

What was here before?
English colonists first settled Bellerose, part of a large Jamaica land grant from Director General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672), in 1656.Following the British defeat of the Dutch, the area became a British colony, joining Queens County in 1683. Until the early 20th century Bellerose was largely farmland known as “Little Plains.” It was not until the Long Island Railroad was extended to the neighborhood that large numbers of people moved to Bellerose.

How did this site become a park?
This playground opened in 1950 as a Jointly Operated Playground. 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 the public on evenings and weekends. This playground is shared with PS 133.

Bellerose Playground contains handball courts, basketball half-courts, and a playground. In 2024 a at the request of the local school, a passive multi-generational garden space was designed for reading and relaxation, and updated with landscaping, benches, and game tables.

What is this park named for?
Helen Marsh, a real estate developer, built a model community and a railroad station in western Nassau County in the early 20th century. It is theorized the name Bellerose came from the nearby Rose family farm and their daughter Belle. Marsh stated in later interviews that she liked how the name sounded, and it was adopted when the village was incorporated.