History

Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux envisioned the Long Meadow as "a broad stretch of slightly undulating meadow without defined edges, itself lost in a maze of shadows of scattered trees." They wanted the Long Meadow to be a more natural outdoor space, as opposed to the artificially delineated spaces of their previous work, Central Park. Ironically, however, a great deal of construction was necessary to create the appearance of a "natural" meadow. Woods were thinned out in some places and transplanted in others. Large quantities of earth were moved around to fill in the swampy peat bog that occupied the area and create the tree-covered embankments that make the space seem like a continuous unfolding of pastoral scenery.
 



                                                                                                                                 Long Meadow, c. 1900


Olmsted and Vaux also intended that much of the Long Meadow be open to grazing sheep. Until the 1930s, a flock of sheep acted as natural "lawn mowers." The Croquet Grounds were another element of the Meadow that faded away as societal trends evolved. Located in the westernmost section of the Long Meadow, the Croquet Grounds featured a Croquet Shelter that rented equipment to players for 28 cents per hour. On a typical Saturday, it was not unusual to see more than 100 croquet parties teeming over the grounds at one time. The Croquet Shelter survived until being seriously damaged in a fire in 1979, after which it was demolished.

In 1959, amidst concerns over inadequate recreational opportunities for the young people of Brooklyn, the Long Meadow Ballfields were constructed in the Meadow’s southernmost section. At the time, there was some controversy, as many local residents believed the chain-link fences and bulky bleachers of the ballfields would undermine the original purpose of the Park designers. The fence and bleachers were relocated in the 1980s in an attempt to better integrate the ballfields into the fluidity of the Long Meadow, and now the ballfields play a crucial role in the community.


Restoration
In 1995, the Long Meadow received a $200,000 renovation of its paths. The north end of the Long Meadow between the Meadowport and Endale Arches became the site of a 9/11 Commemorative Grove in 2002. Through the Prospect Park Alliance’s Commemorative Tree Program, more trees are constantly being planted throughout the Long Meadow, restoring its original design, some of which was lost over the years.


Click here to see the Long Meadow today.