Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways

What was here before?

This was once the site of Hog Creek which separated Plum Island from Brooklyn. The creek was filled in 1930 and shortly after construction began on the nearby Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which opened in 1954. For decades, much of this waterfront site remained an undeveloped piece of Marine Park (which was created in 1917).

How did this site become a park?

After increasing calls from the community to turn this vacant land into a new park, funding was secured in 2013. The Department of Environmental Protection ceded some of the land used to create the park to NYC Parks in 2016 and in 2021 Lew Fidler Park opened to the public.

The park was raised around seven feet to accommodate rising sea levels. Its new topography references seashore dunes and offers spectacular views of Jamaica Bay

Who is this park named for?

This park honors Lewis “Lew” Fidler (1956-2019), a New York City Councilman and District Leader for the local 41^st Assembly District.

Fidler was a Brooklyn native raised in East Flatbush where he attended P.S. 208, J.H.S. 285, and Tilden High School. After graduating from SUNY Albany in 1975, he went to NYU School of Law and received his law degree in 1978.

In 1983, he became a partner at Roberts and Fidler PC. He was also elected as Chairperson for Community Board 17, where he focused on funding local improvement projects including the neighborhood’s first publicly funded daycare program and renovations for the historic Wyckoff Farmhouse. Fidler was elected District Leader in 1992 and continued working with local elected officials to address community needs.

In 2002, Fidler was elected to the New York City Council as the representative of the 46^th District. He chaired the Committee on Youth Services where he advocated for houseless and runaway LGBTQ youths. Fidler’s 2013 bill banning Styrofoam products was unanimously passed in the City Council. He referred to it as “…a rush toward the future, for the protection of the Earth, for our environment...”

Due to term limits, Fidler left office in 2013 but not before allocating funding for this park. He continued as the District Leader until he died in 2019. This park is an apt memorial for Fidler, a devoted advocate for the Sheepshead Bay community. 

Know Before You Go

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