Harvey Park

What was here before?

This playground is in the section of Queens known as Whitestone—its name derived from a large limestone boulder found in 1645 by the Dutch, who bought the land from the Matinecock.

How did this site become a playground?

The village of Whitestone acquired this land in 1892 as part of its water supply system. NYC Parks took possession of the site in 1936 in conjunction with the construction of the Whitestone Parkway and in 1939 opened it as a children’s playground. The parkland was landscaped with various trees and a path system and in 1953 the public restroom was added. 

In 1995, a park renovation at the south side included modernized play equipment, the conversion of a wading pool to a spray feature, and refurbishment of the basketball court. A roller hockey rink and bleachers, tables, landscaping, lighting were added and were rebuilt in 2018.

Who is this playground named for?

This park honors George Upton Harvey (1881-1946) Queens Borough President from 1928 to 1941. Born in County Galway, Ireland, the Harveys moved to Chicago when George was five years old. His father founded The International Confectioner, a trade paper, and after working there Harvey served as a correspondent and photographer for the Army and Navy journal. A captain during World War I, he commanded Company A of the 308th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division. In 1920, Harvey was appointed Assistant Director of the State Income Tax Bureau in Jamaica, New York. 

Harvey began his career in electoral politics when he successfully ran for election to the Board of Aldermen in 1921 as a Republican from Queens and was re-elected in 1923. Though Harvey lost the 1925 election for President of the Board of Aldermen, a sewer scandal resulting in the ouster of Borough President Maurice Connolly vaulted Harvey into the Borough Presidency in a special election to complete Connolly’s term. Harvey was Queens’ first Republican Borough President since the 1898 consolidation of New York City. He was re-elected to this office in 1929, 1933, and 1937, serving until 1941. 

Harvey was a bitter foe of the Tammany political machine at home and Communism abroad. In 1928, he initiated a major expansion of arterial highway and parkway improvements in Queens. He also played an active role in the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadow in 1939-40. In 1932 and again in 1938, he considered running for Governor but ultimately declined to do so. On April 6, 1946, Harvey died of a heart attack while helping to battle a brush fire near his home in New Milford, Connecticut.