Centreville Playground

Albert Rd. bet. 96 St. and Centerville St.

Queens

Directions via Google Maps

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

Centerville Playground is bounded by 96th Street, Albert Road and its namesake, Centerville Street. The street itself was named for the horseracing track that stood at the intersection of Woodhaven and Rockaway Boulevards between 1825 and 1899. The area was the mecca of 19th century horseracing in New York City, during what is known as the “Golden Age” of racing. In the 1820s, the neighborhood now known as Ozone Park was famous for its two prominent horseracing facilities, the Centerville Racetrack and the Union Course racetrack. At one race, when the Union Course featured the best horses from the North and the South, 50,000 people came to the largely undeveloped area and wagered a total of about $200,000—an enormous sum for the time. Because of its isolation from lodging and entertainment venues, the popularity of the Centerville track suffered. Originally known as the Eclipse Course, the track’s name was changed to Centerville during an economic low poi…

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