Cambria Playground

What was here before?
Old Springfield Cemetery, located within Montefiore Cemetery across the street, dates to the 1670s and holds some of the graves of New York City’s first settlers. By the 1800s the land was owned by Frances Buck, whose family (along with the Fausner and Hartmann families) owned the surrounding farmland through the 1920s.

At this time, developer Oliver B. LaFreniere and the Cambria Title, Savings, and Trust Company of Cambria County, Pennsylvania acquired the land, laid out streets, and erected homes. After World War II, Cambria Heights, like the larger neighborhood of St. Albans, was a predominantly middle-class African American and Afro-Caribbean community. Sections of the neighborhood received a historic landmark district designation in 2022 for their preserved row homes and representation of prosperous Black homeownership in a time of prejudice and racism. Jazz pianist Chick Corea and jazz saxophonist Paul Gonzalez lived in the neighborhood.

How did this site become a playground?
This playground was acquired as a city park in 1951 and developed as a recreation facility for different age groups. It featured a baseball diamond, softball diamond, and basketball courts in the northern and central portions of the park. The southern end included a sandpit, shuffleboard, and wading pool. Swings, slides, and seesaws lined the edges of the playground. In 1980 a jungle gym was installed as the playground’s centerpiece.

Parks reconstructed the playground in 1998 and again in 2017. The most recent renovation includes new play equipment, spray shower, and updated utilities. The play units use contrasting tropical colors and are connected through a ramp system that creates an accessible play experience. A central, all-ages play area offers a quieter, enclosed space for children who need a calmer sensory environment.

Who is this playground named for?
The playground is commonly known as Cambria Playground for the surrounding neighborhood. However, in 1989 the playground was officially renamed for Frederick Cabbell (1927-1988), who had died a year earlier. Cabbell served on the New York City Police Department from 1953 to 1984, rising to the rank of detective, and was an active resident in Cambria Heights for over 25 years. He directed the Cambria Heights Little League for 22 years and led Boy Scout Troop #176. In recognition of Cabbell’s outstanding service to the neighborhood, the community initiated the name change. Seven Council Members from Queens and Brooklyn introduced the local law to name the park, and Mayor Edward I. Koch signed the bill on December 28, 1989, three days before he left office.