Silver Lake Park

The Daily Plant : Thursday, March 20, 2008

Silver Lake Park Is March’s Park Of The Month

Photo by Daniel Avila

Silver Lake Park, on Staten Island’s North Shore, contains 209 acres of open space where residents can enjoy recreational activities, walking trails and a place to be one with nature.

Silver Lake, a body of water formed at the end of the ice age, was drained and today acts as a working reservoir. The history of the lake dates back to the 19th century, where it was home to a casino and saloon, and it hosted the National Skating Amateur Championship races in 1897.

At the end of the 19th century, the population of Staten Island was increasing each year. Residents wanted land to be set aside for a park as the commute to visit Manhattan’s parks was time-consuming and expensive. In February 1900, Staten Island writer and resident John de Morgan appealed to the State Assembly’s Committee on Cities to set aside funds to establish a park. Four years later, the construction of Silver Lake Park began. In 1913, the lake was drained and converted to a working reservoir by the Board of Water Supply, a function it still serves today.

Although much of the park is famous for the transformation of the reservoir, other sites within the park are also notable. In 1928, a golf course was constructed. Through the years, the park has been granted funds for adding a new tennis court, softball field and a children’s playground. In 1988, Staten Island Borough President Ralph J. Lamberti provided the park with $1.4 million for a new administration building along with a new children’s play area. In 1997, the park received an additional $700,000 from Borough President Guy Molinari to repave the walkways and to add new plants, benches, fences, guiderails and handball courts.

In its more than 150-year history, this park has transformed from a barren landscape to a park lined with colorful beds of flowers and laughing children, with room for all to enjoy its amenities.

Park of the Month introduces some of our greatest parks and green spaces to curious New Yorkers and visitors. For additional information on Silver Lake Park, please visit our website at www.nyc.gov/parks.

HOMECOMING!

Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Lifetime Friends of Parks
invite you and a guest to the
2008 Parks Homecoming Party
Honoring
Jeannette Boyd and John Purvis

Monday, March 24, 2008
6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park
64 Street and Fifth Avenue
RSVP: (212) 360-1324 or e-mail rsvp@parks.nyc.gov
$10.00 Donation per person – Payable at the door

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”

Will Durant
(1885 – 1981)