Linden Park

How did this site become an amenity?
Between 1947 and 1949, land was assigned to NYC Parks to build a playground. When it opened, there was play equipment, a sand pit, a spray shower, a horseshoe pitch, and a paved area for games and roller skating, which could be flooded in the winter for ice skating.

Linden Park was reconstructed in the 1980s, and fencing was added around the multipurpose area in 2000. Nearly 20 years later a series of capital projects restored the turf field and track, rebuilt the play and sitting areas, and the large asphalt multipurpose area was redesigned into a turf field, track, skate park, outdoor classrooms, and sports courts.

For years the park was simply known as J.H.S. 166 Playground after the adjacent school before it was renamed Linden Park in 1997. In 2024, the tennis courts were named after Hector Henry.

Who is this amenity named for?
Hector Henry (1933-2020) was a revered tennis coach and mentor who fostered the talents of many students in this park.

Henry was born in Jamaica and started his athletics career as a soccer player who played for the Jamaica National Team and semi-professionally in the United States . At the end of his soccer career, Henry enrolled at Brooklyn College and joined the tennis team. After graduating, he became a tennis coach.

Henry went on to work with New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) for almost 30 years. He was the program director at NYJTL’s Linden Park location for over 25 years, making the sport more accessible to children of diverse backgrounds. Henry was a positive, passionate, and dedicated coach. He died in 2020 but will be remembered as a positive influence in all his students.