Ocean Hill Playground

What was here before?
This property belonged to brothers Jacob H. and Henry Sackman, German immigrants from Hamburg who settled in the area during the mid-19th century. Jacob Sackman was a bookbinder and land agent, a person who specializes in land sales. The land was eventually sold to the House of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic church which was once located across the street between Dean and Pacific Streets.

How did this site become a playground?
A portion of the land was leased to the City in September 1935 by the House of the Good Shepherd and a playground opened to the public two months later.

The property was acquired by Parks in 1964 and is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving P.S. I.S. 55 and the local community. Beginning in 1938, the Board of Education (now the Department of Education) agreed to provide land next to schools where NYC Parks could build and maintain playgrounds that could be used by the school during the day and by the public when school is not in session. Formerly known as I.S. 55 Playground for the adjacent school, it was renamed in 1987.

The site consists of two levels connected by a ramp. The upper level, at street height features sports courts and the lower level is below grade, with playground equipment for younger children.

The playground was rebuilt in 2023 with new basketball courts, skate park, as well as picnic and seating areas.

What is this playground named for?
This playground is named for the Ocean Hill section of Brownsville, Brooklyn, which appears to have been named around 1857. An Eagle article in July that year refers to recent" heavy transactions in real estate in the 9th ward of Brooklyn, on that portion of Fulton avenue, Broadway . . . Herkimer street, &c., now known as Ocean Hill." The area had "a commanding elevation of ground, overlooking the city" that afforded "a grand view of the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay" to the south and east.

During the early 20th century, the neighborhood also included department stores, theaters, and light industrial warehouses. In the 1970s much of the area became vacant after property owners abandoned buildings which were no longer profitable, and which were then damaged by vandalism and arson, particularly during a major power blackout in 1977.

Beginning in the 1990s, encouraging signs of revitalization appeared. One and two-family homes filled vacant lots and renovations of the abandoned houses near Eastern Parkway and the surrounding area maximized the Ocean Hill housing stock.