Glen Oaks Oval

Tenney Park

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

What was here before?
Like much of eastern Queens, this area remained rural farmland through the 19th century. The area was once part of Flushing and home to famous industrialist and railroad developer William K. Vanderbilt’s estate, which was bought in 1923 by the Glen Oaks golf club. In 1944, Gross-Morton Company, purchased 175 acres of land nearby along Union Turnpike, and decided to build a colonial-style apartment complex with the help of a $24 million loan from the Federal Housing Authority.

The two-story buildings that surround Glen Oaks Oval on all sides comprise the Glen Oaks Village cooperative residential community, which took its name from the surrounding neighborhood. Of the 2,864 units, many were rented by veterans of World War II.

How did this site become a park?
The land for Glen Oaks Oval was transferred to the City in two parcels. The first parcel, consisting of a small portion of the 74th Avenue route of the Long Island Motor Highway, was conveyed by the Lakeville Holding & Development Co. in 1938. The second was acquired from Union Land Co. in 1948. Both parcels were immediately given to NYC Parks to develop as public parkland.

In 1988, portions of the park were renovated to improve access and to reconstruct the basketball court and two baseball fields, with new players’ benches and protective fencing. In 1996, Parks built a playground area in the western portion of the park.

In 2021, the playground was upgraded with new play structures and colored safety surfacing that represents a pond with tortoise play sculptures. Additionally, at the request of the community, the existing basketball court was transformed into an adult fitness area with equipment and painted agility games that patrons can utilize to complement their fitness routines.

Who is this park named for?
The park was known as Glen Oaks Oval until 1977, when a local law designated it in 1977, to honor Jerry Tenney (1928-1977), a real estate financier who played a role in the development of the surrounding Glen Oaks Village apartment complex. At the community’s request, the park’s name was changed in 2009 back to Glen Oaks Oval.