Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Department of Parks, City and Borough of Brooklyn records

Call Number

1977.325

Dates

1856-1945, inclusive
; 1885-1910, bulk

Creator

Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Park Commissioners
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet in six manuscript boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Department of Parks, City and Borough of Brooklyn records span the years 1856 to 1945 (bulk dates 1885 to 1910). Materials relating to Prospect Park, Eastern Parkway, Ocean Parkway, Coney Island, Forest Park, Shore Road, Bedford Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Washington Avenue, among others, are included in the collection.

Historical note

The vast urban park system in New York City (over 29,000 acres) has its origins from a 1686 charter by Governor Thomas Dongan which provided for municipal stewardship of vacant and unappropriated land. This charter enabled the city to acquire and maintain public spaces including a marketplace, a military and parade ground, and a public commons in today's lower Manhattan. Constructed on part of the land from the original public spaces, Bowling Green, the oldest public park in New York City, was established in 1733. The establishment of public parks in Manhattan during the 18th century, combined with the popularity of the park-like Green-Wood Cemetery (1838) in Brooklyn, led to the establishment of the first major park in Brooklyn, Washington Park (now Fort Greene Park) in 1848.

Beginning in the mid-19th century, some of the city's greatest parks were designed and constructed. From 1858, when Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted won the design competition to construct Central Park, through the end of the 19th century, Vaux and Olmsted designed and constructed Riverside Park and Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. They also planned Eastern Parkway (1868-1874) and Ocean Parkway (1869-1876) which were intended to be landscaped routes connecting the parks in Brooklyn.

As early as 1839, the City of Brooklyn had plans to establish 11 public parks. But Brooklyn was slow to build enough parks to meet the needs of its fast growing population, so in 1859, the State Legislature appointed the Brooklyn Board of Park Commissioners. Within a year, the Board had proposed a site for what would become Prospect Park. In 1870, New York City established a new city agency to head both park construction and park management, the Department of Public Parks. When Brooklyn was incorporated into New York City in 1898, the borough of Brooklyn continued to maintain its own agency to manage its park system. In 1934, under Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the once separate borough park systems were unified into one organization and Robert Moses was appointed as its parks commissioner. As of 2011, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation remains the steward of the 29,000 acres of public spaces throughout the city.

Sources:

  1. Kuhn, Jonathan. "Parks." In The Encyclopedia of New York City, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, 882. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
  2. New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. "A Timeline of New York City Department of Parks & Recreation History." Accessed February 4, 2011. http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/historic_tour/historic_tour.html

Arrangement note

The original filing scheme, if any, was lost before the Long Island Historical Society (LIHS), now Brooklyn Historical Society, acquired the collection. At LIHS, the collection was first organized by subject but this arrangement proved to be inadequate. Later, the collection was reorganized into its present arrangement.

Scope and Contents

The Department of Parks, City and Borough of Brooklyn records span the years 1856 to 1945 (bulk dates 1885 to 1910) and measure 2.5 linear feet. Materials relating to Prospect Park, Eastern Parkway, Ocean Parkway, Coney Island, Forest Park, Shore Road, Bedford Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Washington Avenue, among others, are included in the collection. The collection is arranged into seven series: Correspondence; Reports; Finances; Legal; Minutes and proceedings; Maps and drawings; and Miscellaneous printed materials.

Box 1 contains: Correspondence

Box 2 contains: Correspondence

Box 3 contains: Reports; Finances

Box 4 contains: Legal

Box 5 contains: Legal (continued)

Box 6 contains: Legal (continued); Minutes and proceedings; Maps and drawings; and Miscellaneous printed materials

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Department of Parks, City and Borough of Brooklyn records, 1977.325, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was formally accessioned in 1977, donor unknown.

Related Materials

Brooklyn Historical Society also holds several related collections. Interested researchers should see the City of New York Department of Parks records (1978.079); the City of New York Department of Parks budget memorandum (1980.001); the Praeger survey collection (ARC.121); and the William Schroeder, Sr. scrapbook collection (ARC.121). Please consult library staff for more information.

Other Finding Aids

There is a more detailed inventory list for this collection located in Emma, Brooklyn Historical Society's online catablog, as well as a paper version located in the Othmer Library at Brooklyn Historical Society. Please consult library staff for more information.

Collection processed by

Robert Sink

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:19:15 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English.

Processing Information note

Minimally processed to the series level.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: 1977.325 Box 1 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1977.325 Box 2 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1977.325 Box 3 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1977.325 Box 4 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1977.325 Box 5 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1977.325 Box 6 of 6 (Material Type: Text)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201