Challenge Playground

What was here before?
Originally settled as farmland in the 1640s, this area of Queens retained its largely rural character until 1923, when 167acres were purchased from the nearby Vanderbilt family estate to create a new golf club. The golf course was eventually named Glen Oaks, after the sweeping panoramic view from the highest point in Queens.

Nearby on the northern side of Grand Central Parkway, a group of members from the Belleclaire Country Club, located in Bayside, founded the North Hills Golf Club in 1927. After its owners relocated to Manhasset, the City of New York purchased the property on September 7, 1962, and reopened it as Douglaston Park Golf Course.

How did this site become a playground?
This site, which was some of the last privately-owned farmland in Queens, was assigned to the Board of Education in 1949 for the construction of a new school and playground, which opened in 1954. This playground is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving PS 811Q and the local community. 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 by the public when school is not in session.

A reconstruction in 2021 added new playground entrances, sensory play equipment, swings, and spray showers. The new design features auditory and visual elements that create playful shadow effects, sounds, and touchable textures.