The Big Park

The Big Park, known as Grandview Playground after adjacent Grandview Avenue until 2017, was originally named Mariners Harbor Houses Playground for the adjacent housing development. Both the playground and the housing complex took their names from the neighborhood of Mariners Harbor in northwestern Staten Island.

Mariners Harbor was once synonymous with the oyster industry on Staten Island. Before the turn of the 20th century and the subsequent pollution of the harbor, the community had a thriving oyster trade (both fishing and harvesting) and a successful ship building and repair industry in the waters of the Kill van Kull.

Bordering Mariners Harbor, the Kill van Kull is a tidal straight, approximately three miles in length and one thousand feet wide, which separates New Jersey and Staten Island. It is one of the most bustling waterways in New York Harbor, connecting Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay. The western border of Mariners Harbor is the Goethals Bridge, a steel arch cantilevered bridge that crosses from Staten Island’s Howland Hook to Elizabeth, New Jersey. 

The City acquired this property, located along Grandview Avenue and Continental Place, on January 30, 1952. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) leased the property to NYC Parks on June 27, 1957. The official jurisdiction of this playground remains with NYCHA, but it is maintained and operated by NYC Parks. Commissioner Henry Stern named this property for the adjacent avenue in 1985.

In 2017, the park was renamed The Big Park in reference to the local moniker used by community members. The site features sports courts, a play area for children and a large multi-use field.This site was renovated in 2017-18 through the Community Parks Initiative – a multi-faceted program to increase the accessibility and quality of parks throughout the five boroughs in an equitable manner.