Surf Playground

What was here before?
Coney Island’s name may derive from the Dutch word for rabbit, since the island was full of “konijn,” or wild rabbits, during the 1600s. In 1829 the Coney Island House became its first seaside resort, and within a few decades the enclave was hosting an increasing stream of visitors. After the Civil War, new railroad lines provided direct public transportation to a rapidly expanding list of attractions: restaurants, hotels, bathing pavilions, shops, amusement rides, racetracks, and theatres. At the turn of the century, amusement parks—Sea Lion Park, Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, and Dreamland—offered rides, concessions, and entertainment on a spectacular scale.

When the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT) subway line reached the area in 1920, the pleasures of Coney Island were just a five-cent ride away from the steaming city. Attendance on a hot summer day could reach hundreds of thousands.

By the 1940s, a single-story building that housed several storefronts, including a corner general store, a candy shop and a business advertising popcorn, stood on this property. In 1960, the city approved the demolition of these “unsafe” buildings, and plans were underway to build a new school to relieve overcrowding at nearby P.S. 188. 

How did this site become a playground?
This property was acquired by the city in 1958, and P.S. 288 Playground opened in 1963. This playground is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving the neighboring school 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.

In 1985, Parks named the lot Surf Playground. In 2017, the playground’s play equipment was replaced, and in 2021, the park was renovated with new amenities including a multigenerational fitness area, basketball courts, and a synthetic turf lawn. 

What is this playground named for?
This playground is named for bordering Surf Avenue, which evokes the waves of the Atlantic Ocean that break upon the nearby beach. Surf Avenue is one of Coney Island’s three major east-west thoroughfares that feature maritime names (Neptune Avenue and Mermaid Avenue are the other two).