Epiphany Playground

What was here before?
Both Epiphany Church and Epiphany Park are located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, named for surveyor (and first Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point), Colonel Jonathan Williams (1750-1815). In 1818, David Dunham (ca. 1790) launched a steam ferry service to Manhattan, which further spurred the growth of the community. Ten years later, the area was incorporated as the Village of Williamsburgh. In the following decades, industry flocked to the waterfront. Williamsburgh became so large that it was chartered as a city in 1852. Three years later, the City of Brooklyn annexed Williamsburg and dropped the “h” in the community’s name. In 1898, upon consolidation, the City of New York incorporated the City of Brooklyn as the borough of Brooklyn.

How did this site become a park?
In 1997, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services assigned this property to Parks. Four years earlier, in preparation for the transfer, Parks entered into a maintenance agreement with Arriba Juntos—Forward Together, Inc.—a local Catholic service organization that also operates after-school programs for children. Headquartered in Epiphany Roman Catholic Church, Arriba Juntos is responsible for Epiphany Park’s upkeep, including the park’s recreational facilities and landscaping.

This site is part of Parks' Community Parks Initiative, a multi-faceted program to invest in under-resourced public parks and increase the accessibility and quality of parks throughout the five boroughs. In 2024 a project constructed new multigenerational play equipment, including a spray shower, handball and basketball courts.

Who is this park named for?
Epiphany Park is named for the nearby Epiphany Roman Catholic Church. The church, in turn, is named for the Christian feast observed on January 6 that commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men, or the Magi, to the newborn Jesus Christ.