LeFrak Center at Lakeside Roller Skating: Please note that roller skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside will close at 3:30 pm on Saturday June 3 for the Gotham Roller Derby. Thank you for your understanding.
Park Drive Repaving
Park Drive Repaving: Please note that the Park Drive has been repaved from Park Circle to Grand Army Plaza. Markings work continues and pedestrian symbols will be added in the coming weeks by NYC DOT to pilot safety improvements. Learn more about the 18-month NYC DOT Pilot.
Prospect Park Alliance is kicking off our Summer of Stewardship with exciting opportunities to Be a Park Champion and care for your park, while making the most of the health and wellness benefits offered by nature.
Show friends and family that you care for them and your park:send a loved one an Rx For Natureand enjoy the health benefits of nature together with one of these fun activities:
Rediscover your favorite Prospect Park destinations andboost your fitness, strength and endurancewith a virtual training with coach Marlon Jude and our partner I AM CARIBBEING.
While enjoying nature, don’t forget to Be a Park Champion by carrying out everything you bring into the park, staying on paved or wood-chipped trails, and admiring the wildlife from a safe distance.
Spend your summer nights in Prospect Park with Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn, the free, outdoor movie series presented by Paramount+ and Brooklyn Magazine, in partnership with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Prospect Park Alliance.
The series will take place on Prospect Park’s Long Meadow for four consecutive Wednesdays starting July 26, and continues the longstanding summer movie series offered in Prospect Park for many years through the support of the Borough President.
Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn will offer nostalgic classics and feel-good fan favorites for all ages. The themes throughout are connectivity, perseverance, friendship, family, self-empowerment, creativity, fantasy, and fun — just what we could all use this summer.
“There’s nothing better than Brooklyn in the summertime, especially the memories of summer as a kid. We’re in luck that nostalgia is the theme of our “Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn” series this summer,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m thrilled to bring a selection of classic movies, and films we know will become classics, to Fort Greene Park, Prospect Park, and McCarren Park throughout the summer. I look forward to getting this program started and want to extend my deep thanks to the Prospect Park Alliance and the Fort Greene Park Conservancy for their partnership.”
“We are thankful to Borough President Reynoso for continuing this long-cherished tradition of bringing our community together for free movie nights under the stars in Brooklyn’s Backyard, and to Paramount+ and Brooklyn Magazine for their support of this series,” adds Morgan Monaco, President, Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park. “We also are delighted to partner with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy to expand the series to our sister park for an even better season of outdoor fun.”
In addition to the movie nights in Prospect Park, the series will kick off with four consecutive Thursday evenings beginning Thursday, June 29, in Fort Greene Park, in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, and end with four final evenings starting Sunday, August 20, in McCarren Park.
After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.
Bring It On
August 2
A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from another school and must scramble to compete at this year’s championships.
The Nutty Professor (1996)
August 9
Good-hearted professor Sherman Klump takes a special chemical that turns him into the obnoxious Buddy Love.
Guardians of the Galaxy
August 16
A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.
The films will begin shortly after sundown at the north end of the Prospect Park Long Meadow, located nearest to the Grand Army Plaza entrance. The closest subway stations are the Grand Army Plaza and the Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum stops on the 2, 3 lines or the B41 bus lines. Please note that the movie may be cancelled in the case of inclement weather. Please visit prospectpark.org and Prospect Park Alliance’s social media channels for up-to-date information.
National Trails Day in Prospect Park
Be a Park Champion this National Trails Day in Prospect Park! Saturday, June 3, is the 31st annual National Trails Day, a day to celebrate your local trails alongside community members and pledge to leave your trail better than you found it every day of the year.
Prospect Park’s 585 acres are home to Brooklyn’s last remaining forest. These 250 acres of scenic woodlands, sustained by Prospect Park Alliance, are not only essential to the health of the park and the wildlife that call it home, but are also a source of wellness for our community.
Time in nature can reduce stress, improve your mood and boost your physical health, and getting out on the trails in Brooklyn’s Backyard is a wonderful way to reap these benefits. To make the most of all these trails have to offer, Prospect Park Track Club (PPTC) members share some of their favorite routes and tips for walkers and runners of all levels.
“What makes running or walking on Prospect Park’s trails so special are the unexpected delights—finding little waterfalls, coming upon a familiar part of the park from a different angle and taking a moment before you quite realize where you are,” said Lisa Knauer, one of PPTC’s Race Directors. “One of my favorite routes is climbing up Lookout Hill on a clear day and catching a glimpse of Coney Island.”
Another must-see walking or running route begins starting from Grand Army Plaza. Take the eastern pathway to the Endale Arch into the Long Meadow and follow along the hex-block path on the east side of the Long Meadow. Follow the path until it forks at a tall oak tree, and take the path on the left into the woodlands. Follow the trail until you reach another fork, and take the wide stone steps on your left and then turn right down another set of steps. At the bottom you’ll find the little-known Boulder Bridge, a historic bridge that was recreated by the Alliance in the 1990s as part of the larger restoration of the Ravine. The view from this bridge is one of the most scenic in the park. After enjoying the view, return to the path and continue to the right of Boulder Bridge, down a few more steps. At the bottom you will find a small octagonal footprint of a structure where an old rustic shelter once stood. Take in the view of the gorge below, and then continue down the steps until you reach Rock Arch Bridge and Ambergill Falls, one of several waterfalls that were designed by park creators Olmsted and Vaux. Continue down the path until it forks, and then turn right and head up the sloping path back toward the Long Meadow and enjoy the towering trees and wildlife sightings along the way.
You also won’t want to miss recent scenic additions in the heart of Prospect Park’s woodlands—including a rustic trail just off Center Drive thanks to the 2021 summer cohort of the Prospect Park Alliance Woodlands Youth Crew, whose vital restoration work transformed this part of the park. This trail now offers park goers a chance to see the top of the Lullwater, a view of Brooklyn’s Backyard that was previously inaccessible to park visitors.
As part of the Prospect Park Alliance’s woodland restoration work in the Vale, the team also installed a new rustic rail trail, which leads visitors to two sites that are currently being restored: the Rose Garden to the Children’s Pool, inviting visitors to take a meandering route through the woods while staying on path.
“Right in Brooklyn’s Backyard, exploring the trails in Prospect Park can make you feel a world away from the busy city,” said PPTC Board member Katie Claiborne. By making the most of your time in nature, staying active and practicing good stewardship this National Trails Day and every day, you are helping Brooklyn’s wildlife and community thrive.
Did you know that spending just 20 minutes in nature can decrease stress and promote wellbeing? This June, Prospect Park Alliance is kicking off another Summer of Stewardship by celebrating the many ways you can help care for your park and the wonderful things your park can do for you!
RSVP today for these free health and wellness events, and stay tuned for more ways to Be a Park Champion this summer in Prospect Park:
Brooklyn’s most beloved outdoor yoga series is back in Prospect Park! Brooklyn Flow and Prospect Park Alliance present free, outdoor yoga on the Long Meadow. Brooklyn’s finest yoga teachers from different studios around the park lead free, outdoor group yoga classes in a low-pressure, beautiful environment. Join hundreds of Brooklynites each week to celebrate yoga and wellness in our treasured Prospect Park. Bring your own mat or towel, a bottle of water and friends. All levels are welcome. Please sign the waiver prior to your first class. Prospect Park Yoga is made possible in part through support from NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
Join Chelsea Piers Fitness and Prospect Park Alliance to hit the grass and push your body to new limits in this high-intensity interval training class that combines bodyweight strength and cardio on the Prospect Park Long Meadow. You will move through a range of movements from running and jumping to lunges and crunches to keep you motivated and energized. All levels are welcome.
Brooklyn Meditation in Prospect Park
Sundays, June 4 – August 27, 10 am – 11 am Prospect Park Vale Learn More + RSVP Join Brooklyn Meditation and Prospect Park Alliance to find your zen in the Prospect Park Vale. Take some time to reconnect with your inner self, meet other meditators, and learn a simple meditation practice for lasting peace, insight and emotional resilience. All are welcome, experienced meditators and beginners alike.
Nature Exploration Family Bird Walks
Thursdays + Fridays, 3 pm – 4 pm + Saturdays + Sundays, 12 pm – 1 pm Learn More
Calling all families and children! Join Prospect Park Alliance for a Nature Exploration Family Bird Walk as we search for the hundreds of bird species that stop in Prospect Park each year, while exploring nature and stretching our legs. Binoculars and bird guides are provided.
Celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month and Juneteenth at Lefferts Historic House
May 23, 2023
Join Prospect Park Alliance and partners to celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month and Juneteenth at Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park. Brooklyn’s Backyard will be home to a month of celebrations of Black and Caribbean cultures. Enjoy music, dance, storytelling, drumming and much more for Brooklynites of all ages.
Legendary Traditional Characters of J’Ouvert Sunday, June 11, 2 – 5 pm, Free Lefferts Historic House Learn More + RSVP
Join Prospect Park Alliance and JouvayFest Collective, Bush Wo/man Conversations Project, and 2J & Friends at the Lefferts Historic House for a fun and informative family-friendly event about the legendary traditional characters of J’Ouvert. J’ouvert (pronounced Jew-vay) translates as ‘I Open.’ It marks the beginning of the annual Carnival celebrations in many Caribbean islands. J’Ouvert was started by formerly enslaved Africans in the predominantly French speaking colonies, when they began participating in the pre-Lenten festivities of the ruling class. In Trinidad and Tobago, the tradition was further solidified through the Canboulay riots in 1881. J’Ouvert remains a potent living tradition and symbol of the power of history and culture in the Caribbean, Brooklyn, and beyond. This event will be held rain or shine.
Rise in Spirit: A Juneteenth Celebration Saturday, June 17, 1 – 6 pm, Free Lefferts Historic House Learn More + RSVP
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a Juneteenth Celebration produced by the Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation. The family-friendly event will take visitors on a journey of the African Diaspora that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the people of Africa and African descendant cultures. The theme for this Juneteenth celebration at Lefferts Historic House is “Rise in Spirit.”
Enjoy performances by African dancers and drummers from the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, IET Band jazz quartet, tap dancer Joseph Webb, the St. Paul’s Baptist Church gospel choir and theatrical readings by Sharon Gordon. Alliance educators will also provide cooking demonstrations, historic games and more.
The Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to its core tenets to enrich, educate and entertain. They aspire to empower and strengthen youth by offering them an opportunity to learn, study and experience the history, movement and beauty of African Diaspora dance, music and culture at its highest level. They are entering their third decade, and oversee a School of the Arts, the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, an award-winning professional dance ensemble, a Children’s Summer Art Camps, and an Arts Outreach program that services public and charter schools throughout the greater New York area. Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation also curates original programming and produces an array of special events and concerts
The Juneteenth celebration is part of ReImagine Lefferts, an initiative funded through a Humanities in Place grant from the Mellon Foundation that is re-envisioning the mission and programming of the museum to explore the stories of resistance and resilience by the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans who were enslaved by the Lefferts family. The event is also funded in part through support by NYU Brooklyn.
Juneteenth + One Love Little Caribbean Day Sunday, June 18, 12 – 5 pm, Free Lefferts Historic House Learn More + RSVP
Prospect Park Alliance invites you to pull up to Juneteenth, I AM CaribBEING style, with DJ sets and games presented by Fun With Friends and Little Caribbean artisans.
Steelpan Day Sunday, June 25th, 5 pm – 7 pm, Free Lefferts Historic House Learn More + RSVP
Prospect Park Alliance and I AM CaribBEING invite you to celebrate Brooklyn’s Steelpan Day with live performances by Hearts of Steel alongside steelpan musicians from Little Caribbean and beyond.
I AM CaribBEING is supported by NYC Department of Small Business Services, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts, Con Edison, TD Bank and KeySpan.
c. Radka Osickova
Spot the Park’s Newest Species: The Devil Bird
May 11, 2023
For the past few weeks, an unusual visitor has been perched in the treetops high above Prospect Park’s lake. The Anhinga, also known as the Devil Bird, is a large waterbird with a snake-like neck that is typically found in the swampy southeastern corner of the country. But, for the first time since 1992, the bird has been spotted in New York—right here in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
Located along the Atlantic Flyway, with more than 250 migratory and resident bird species spotted each year, Prospect Park is a long beloved birdwatching haven. “The park’s 585 acres are a critical life-saving space for birds. Prospect Park is a rest stop full of food and water thanks, in part, to Prospect Park’s lake and watercourse,” says Peter Dorosh, a Prospect Park Alliance Eco Zone Gardener and avid birder who recently spotted the Anhinga himself. “Prospect Park was the lucky beneficiary of such an awesome sighting: Brooklyn’s only lake caught the Anhinga’s eye.”
For Dorosh and Prospect Park Alliance’s crew of Eco Zone Gardeners and Forest Ecologist, which works to restore and sustain the park’s natural areas, the Anhinga’s arrival highlights an important aspect of their job: ensuring the park’s landscape is a healthy breeding and foraging habitat for birds and other wildlife—both expected and unexpected.
“Birds stop in, refuel, rest and then continue onward for the greater breeding territories in the northern United States and Canada,” explains Dorosh. To Dorosh and Prospect Park Alliance, the priority is ensuring the birds find what they need to thrive in the park. “It’s important to plant native trees and shrub species because these plants attract insects—particularly moths and caterpillars, as they are the soft food needed to feed baby birds and fledglings,” he says.
The Alliance also focuses largely on mitigating habitat loss. “We do our part to remove the invasive plants and replace them with native plants,” says Dorosh. “This greatly benefits natural habitats and restores food webs that include the pollinating wildflowers, grasses and fruiting shrubs that are essential for insects.”
The team strives to create and maintain habitats that send the right signals to any new bird species that may unexpectedly arrive due to the changing climate. “Birds know if a breeding territory will ensure the survival of their species,” Dorosh says. “If we have enough native trees, birds will coexist with other birds and become specialized in what they eat—that’s how evolution intended it.”
As anyone familiar with the variety and abundance of species in Prospect Park knows, there’s plenty to go around. “Warblers and flycatchers eat insects. Cardinals and Blue Jays eat berries and nuts. Sparrows eat grass seeds, and Hawks are carnivores who help keep the rodent population at bay,” explains Dorosh. “We have it all in Prospect Park, as long as we maintain the habitats to become and stay healthy and native.”
Summer is just around the corner, which means it’s time to get ready for a season of music, dance and more at the Lena Horne Bandshell! The 2023 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, kicks off on Wednesday, June 7 for a season of 20+ free shows, benefit concerts, dance performances, film screenings, discussions, special activations and more. The festival, presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks, is back for its 45th annual season of bringing communities together for summer fun in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
“BRIC is about community, art and culture and there is no greater example of that than BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!,” said BRIC President Wes Jackson. “For 45 years our team has brought free and affordable programming to Prospect Park, and low-cost media education to the people of Brooklyn. We’re honored to serve our neighborhoods in this way every summer, and we look forward to 45 more years at the Bandshell and beyond. Thank you to our friends and partners at the Prospect Park Alliance and the Parks Department. I’ll see you out there.”
“BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park is a beloved flagship event, and a clear sign of summer for our community,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that operates the park in partnership with the City. “Music and performing arts are what help keep us thriving in good times and in bad, and I’m grateful that the park serves as an important inspiration for artists of all kinds. The festival has brought a wide range of free music, performances and family programming to Brooklyn’s Backyard and we look forward to coming together this season with the many diverse communities of Brooklyn.”
Tickets are available for many of this season’s benefit shows, and the majority of the festival’s performances are free to the public. For more information, check out our BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! page, and for the full line-up, scroll down!
Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that operates Prospect Park in partnership with the City, has begun work on the restoration of the iconic Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch at Grand Army Plaza. The restoration is part of a larger project to restore Grand Army Plaza, the formal entrance to Prospect Park, and its surrounding berms, through $8.9 million in Mayoral funding.
“We are thrilled with the planned restoration of the historic arch at Grand Army Plaza, which has served as a Brooklyn icon and welcomed visitors to Prospect Park for more than 130 years,” said NYC Parks Commissioner, Sue Donoghue. “The first meaningful restoration work on the arch in decades, this project and will clean and repair the exterior, and add improved, energy-efficient lighting to better showcase the arch’s historic elements. The restored arch will serve as the perfect complement to the broader restoration of Grand Army Plaza.”
“The beloved Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch at Grand Army Plaza is a Brooklyn icon and an important gathering space for dialogue and protests that advance social justice. We are so grateful to the Mayor’s Office for providing the funding to make this project possible. Prospect Park Alliance is excited to restore this landmark in all its glory so it can serve as a welcoming beacon and essential civic space for our community for generations to come.” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President.
Prospect Park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Grand Army Plaza as the grand formal entrance of Prospect Park in 1867. In 1889, the plaza became the site of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch, which was dedicated in 1892 to commemorate those who fought with the Union troops during the Civil War. The arch was designed by John H. Duncan with sculptures by Frederick MacMonnies, two preeminent figures of their times. On top of the arch is a quadriga of Columbia, representing the United States, surrounded by two winged Victories who trumpet her arrival. Smaller sculptures mounted on pedestals depict soldiers and sailors.
The Arch was landmarked in 1975, when the structure was in severe disrepair, and in 1976 Columbia literally fell from her chariot. The City undertook a restoration of the Arch in 1977-79, with subsequent work in 1989 and the mid-1990s. In 1999, the Arch’s bronze statuary groupings were restored by the NYC Parks Monuments Conservation Program.
This restoration is the first since the mid-1990s, and includes replacing the arch’s roof; cleaning and repointing the brick and stone structure; repairing interior elements, including historic iron staircases that lead up to the roof; and improving the exterior lighting to better showcase the historic elements of the arch and its statuary while making the lighting more environmentally friendly by utilizing energy efficient technology.
Restoration of Grand Army Plaza, and the landscaped berms that frame the plaza on its east, west and north sides, began in Fall 2022. This work includes removing invasive plants, shrubs and trees that are in poor condition and adding native trees and shrubs that provide interest and color throughout the seasons. The Alliance will also replace the existing chain link fence with low, decorative steel fencing, and restore the broken bluestone and granite paving around Bailey Fountain and the John F. Kennedy Memorial so that it is ADA accessible.
Work on the Plaza and Berms is slated for completion in Fall 2023. The Arch restoration is expected to take 12 months, and reopen to the public in Spring 2024. During the period where the arch and plaza are simultaneously being restored (through Fall 2023), access will be curtailed at the Arch, and the public is requested to utilize the crosswalks and pedestrian pathways at Plaza Streets East and West.
Spring is here in Prospect Park, and Brooklyn’s Backyard is flourishing with flowering cherry blossoms, vibrant witch hazel, peach and white magnolias and more. To help you make the most of the season, we’ve compiled a guide of our top bloom destinations throughout the park, with both hidden treasures and classic favorites.
Mary Keehbauch, Deputy Director of Landscape Management at Prospect Park Alliance, shares how the team is taking in the change of season and planning for what the upcoming months will bring, more specifically in the park’s 250 acres of woodlands. “We are collectively taking this time to scout and be inspired by the returning forces of nature,” said Keehbauch. “As yellow trout lilies and wildflowers such as trillium push through the leaves and vines, our team will clear the way for blooms to come. We welcome park visitors to stroll the chip lined trails in our woodlands, and watch as the transformation begins, assisted by the April showers, extended hours of soil-warming sun, and our hardworking team supported by wonderful dedicated volunteers.” As you admire the blooms of Brooklyn’s Backyard, remember to leave petals, leaves and berries on trees and flowers. These are essential to the pollinators and wildlife that call Prospect Park home, and by making the most of spring from a safe distance, you’re helping our ecosystem thrive.
Spring blooms at Grand Army Plaza and vibrant hues of Carmen’s Garden in front of the Litchfield Villa. c. Martin Seck + Michael Silverstone
Grand Army Plaza is Prospect Park’s formal entrance, and features some of the park’s most impressive architecture, and ornamental flowers and trees. Among them, early-blooming cherry trees and daffodils are the first to arrive. April welcomes Eastern redbud and pink-flowering cherry trees that give way to the white Silverbells in May. As summer approaches, watch for the clustered flowers of the bottlebrush buckeye.
At Lakeside, the spring blooms attract park visitors and wildlife alike! Park goers who visit the greenroof at Lakeside in early spring will be able to catch the vibrant yellows, oranges and reds of Witch Hazel. As April advances, Lakeside receives a fresh coating of delicate white blossoms from the many Serviceberry, Chokeberry, Cherry laurels, and Foxglove Beardtongue that are buzzing with activity, as well as blooms of yellow from the Fragrant Sumac and Spicebush. Late spring brings with it a crescendo of flowering dogwoods and dewberries, and those with a keen eye might just spot a few of the subtle, deep purple blossoms of Lakeside’s paw paw trees!
The historic Litchfield Villa is a well-known destination for flower lovers. In April, tulips and Juneberries electrify Carmen’s Garden, located directly in front of the pre-Civil War-era mansion, heralding the arrival of warm weather. In May, blossoming crabapple and hawthorn trees paint the landscape in pinks and whites, while perennial displays replace the fading tulips. Be sure to head around back to see cream-colored flowers of the Korean dogwood trees.
Magnolia trees in bloom along the Long Meadow in Brooklyn’s Backyard. c. Martin Seck
Passing through the Meadowport or Endale Arch in mid-April, visitors are welcomed by the peach and white bouquet of magnolia and dogwood trees that line the Long Meadow’s north end. The warmer weather brings out lilacs, as well as the hanging flowers of the yellowwood tree. Later in the season, enjoy the view under the shade of a flowering linden tree, and take in the sweet scent of the oakleaf hydrangea near the Picnic House.
Flourishing woodland flowers in Prospect Park’s woodlands. c. Martin Seck.
Those with an adventurous spirit should head across Binnen Bridge and past the Nethermead to the Park’s woodland Ravine. Look for spicebush with its clusters of yellow flowers and small red fruits that are rich in nutrients for small birds. Pond edges are home to chokeberry, and American elderberry, deciduous shrubs native to New York. These shrubs will later feature berries that attract a variety of wildlife, making them instrumental in the health and diversity of Prospect Park’s natural habitats. Watch for the rare and lively Pinxter azalea which will add a vibrant pop of color to the evergreening woodland areas.
Prospect Park is home to a few dedicated pollinator gardens. In addition to Grand Army Plaza and Carmen’s Garden, Bartel-Pritchard Square features a variety of springtime blooms. The arching Carolina allspice with its unique maroon flowers that smell of strawberry anchor the native pollinator friendly beds, and it’s hard to miss the old-fashioned weigela, an ornamental shrub with beautiful trumpet-shaped lavender flowers.
Play Ball! Alliance Restores Long Meadow Ballfields 2+3
March 31, 2023
Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, Comptroller Brad Lander, Borough Parks Commissioner Martin Maher and Prospect Park Baseball Association President Eddie Albert took part in a much-anticipated ribbon cutting: the official opening of the newly restored ballfields 2 and 3 on the Long Meadow in Prospect Park.
The fields were restored by Prospect Park Alliance through funding from Comptroller Brad Lander while serving as Council Member in District 39, and are the final two of seven ballfields on the Long Meadow that have been restored by the Alliance through funding from the City Council and Mayor. The restored fields are reseeded and have new clay infields and drainage to keep them in good playing condition. The restoration also included newly paved pathways, benches and drinking fountains, and dedicated clay storage bins and shaded dugouts.
The restoration of the final two Long Meadow Ballfields mark the conclusion of an important improvement to Brooklyn’s Backyard,” said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President. “These fields are vital recreational amenities for all of Brooklyn, serving thousands of youth each year, and we are so grateful for the support of Brad Lander, our partners at NYC Parks and all our local elected officials whose support enables the Alliance to sustain Prospect Park for the millions of community members who live and play here.
“With the completion of the last two of the historic Long Meadow’s seven ballfields, Prospect Park is a home run for baseball players of all ages,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “I thank the Prospect Park Alliance for having the vision and leading the way on this needed project. Brooklyn’s Backyard is ready to play ball!”
“I’m excited to say ‘play ball’ once again on the newly restored Long Meadow Ballfields, thanks to the hard work of the Prospect Park Alliance. Investing in our parks and recreational spaces is a necessity for the health and well-being of our communities,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.
“I’m so happy to see the Prospect Park ballfields open just in time for spring,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Thanks to the funding for my predecessor, Comptroller Lander, our community will have fully renovated fields to enjoy this summer. I’m looking forward to visiting the park when it’s warmer and see teams playing on the new ballfields!”
“This was not simply renovation, it was smart renovation. By turning the diamonds into all clay infields with improved drainage, grooming the fields for play will be easier and more games will be played. By resizing the clay infields, all ages will have greater access to play. This is a perfect example of how great things can result from a partnership between dedicated public officials and the people they serve,” said Eddie Albert, President, Prospect Park Baseball Association.
Since the early years of Prospect Park, in the late 19th century, the Long Meadow has been a beloved destination for sports and play. Enjoyed first by croquet clubs, then for lawn tennis and today, America’s ultimate pastime: baseball. With increasing demand overwhelming the nearby Parade Ground fields, five baseball diamonds and space for football and soccer were constructed on this portion of the Long Meadow in 1959, with concrete and brick bleachers and surrounded by fencing, both of which interrupted views down the length of the meadow.
In 2011, Prospect Park Alliance created a new master plan to restore the fields in the Long Meadow. This ribbon cutting and the restoration of fields 2 and 3 marks the completion of the restoration of all seven of the Long Meadow ballfields and kicks-off right on time for the start of the Baseball season, where Brooklynites will enjoy all that the newly restored fields have to offer.
