Kelly Park Playground

Ave. S bet. E. 14 St. and E. 15 St.

Brooklyn

Directions via Google Maps

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

What was here before?
In 1890, this site was part of the J.R. Stillwell estate. He was a descendant of Nicholas Stillwell (1609-1671), one of the earlier European settlers in the Gravesend area of Brooklyn, who purchased land here in 1648.

How did this site become a park?
The original tract of land for this park, to the west of the train tracks, was condemned in 1889 and 1906 for use as a pumping station. In 1924 the site was conveyed to the Brooklyn Parks Department for use as a recreational area. It was improved with tennis courts in the late 1920s and named William E. Kelly Park in 1929. In the spring of 1940, the park was expanded and improved with an extensive recreation area, built by Works Projects Administration labor, including new baseball diamonds and tennis courts (adaptable for ice-skating after flooding and freezing), shuffleboard and volleyball courts, and children’s play structures.

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