Capital Projects Tracker
Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that sustains the park in partnership with the City, undertakes a variety of restoration and improvement projects throughout Prospect Park. This is made possible through the support of partners in government, as well as private foundations and individual donors.
Capital projects follow the New York City Parks design and construction guidelines. Each phase takes approximately one year, although the construction timeline is based on the scope of the project:
- Funded or Partially Funded: Funding has been secured or partially secured, but the project has not yet entered the design phase.
- Design Phase: Prospect Park Alliance architects and landscape architects draw up the plans for the project, and guide them through the approval process.
- Procurement Phase: the project goes through a public process to assemble the construction team.
- Construction Phase: the physical construction of the project takes place.
Funded or Partially Funded
Horseback Riding Ring
Through $4.1 million in funding from the New York City Council and Brooklyn Borough President, Prospect Park Alliance will create a covered horseback riding ring for public and therapeutic riding. Prospect Park is currently home to a therapeutic horseback riding program offered by Gallop NYC, a non-profit organization that serves children and adults with disabilities and special needs, at an uncovered ring at the Prospect Park Parade Ground Bowling Green. The covered riding ring will enable riding to take place year round and in inclement weather, and broaden the programming.
Lena Horne Bandshell Lawn Restoration
Through $250,000 in funding through District 39 Participatory Budgeting, Prospect Park Alliance will rehabilitate the lawn areas surrounding the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.
Design Phase
Boathouse Improvements
Through funding from New York State Assembly District 44, including $250,000 from the New York State Development Program and $500,000 from the State and Municipal Facilities Program, Prospect Park Alliance will repair the exterior terracotta of this historic landmark, install air conditioning, update electrical wiring and repair the historic original brick floors.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Fallkill Falls Pathway Improvements
Through District 39 and District 40 Participatory Budgeting, Council Members Shahana Hanif and Rita Joseph allocated $750,000 and $130,000, respectively, to add new lighting and a handrail along a steep, woodland pathway that connects Center Drive at the Nethermead to the Long Meadow Ballfields along the Fallkill Falls. This work will improve safety and accessibility on this major pedestrian path connecting the east and west sides of the park.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Lakeshore Restoration
Through the advocacy of our community (more than 1,100 community members shared letters of support) and Council Members Hanif, Hudson and Joseph, Mayor Eric L. Adams has allocated $18 million and the Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has allocated $2 million toward the $30 million restoration of Lakeshore, which will reconstruct the shoreline of Brooklyn’s only lake to improve its environmental resiliency and wildlife habitat, as well as improve the visitor experience and provide ADA access to this important park destination. The Alliance has currently created a master plan and design for the first phase of work, the section just south of Lakeside Center at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue perimeters, and has begun the design of Phase II, on the west side of the Lake. The reconstructed shoreline will closely follow the historic design from the late 1800s, and includes improved access, lighting, seating and viewing areas, as well as green infrastructure for improved stormwater management and newly landscaped areas for improved wildlife habitat.
Estimated Phase 1 Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Phase 1 Construction Completion: 2027
Lincoln Road Playground + Path Restoration
Through $3 million in funding from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, $500,000 from the Mayor’s office and $500,000 from Council Member Rita Joseph via District 40 Participatory Budgeting, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring Lincoln Road Playground. The 20,000-square-foot playground will include new play equipment and climbing structures, a water feature, new safety surfacing, shaded seating areas, plantings and renovated pathways surrounding the playground.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Lookout Hill Forest Restoration
Through $1 million in Mayoral funding, Prospect Park Alliance will restore a woodland landscape on Lookout Hill, one of the park’s highest points, continuing our important work in this area of the park. This will include stabilizing severely eroded slopes and replacing lost tree canopy with thousands of climate-adapted native trees, shrubs and plants. This ecological restoration effort will take place over the course of multiple planting cycles, and create a healthy forest habitat with overstory, midstory and understory plantings that provide a diverse and resilient habitat for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2029
Picnic House Reconstruction
Through $500,000 in City funding, Prospect Park Alliance will make repairs to the historic 1920s Picnic House, including restoring exterior and interior stonework, brickwork and windows; and updating interior lighting, finishes and electrical wiring.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Prospect Park Signage System
Through $250,000 in Mayoral funding, Prospect Park Alliance is creating a comprehensive master plan for a new signage system in the park that will provide wayfinding, stewardship and interpretive signage to improve access and the visitor experience. The signage will be fabricated and installed in the Prospect Park Vale as part of the restoration of this park destination, and carried out in other areas of the park as part of future capital improvements.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Shirley Chisholm Monument
Through $1 million in funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, a monument paying tribute to Brooklyn trailblazer and hero, Shirley Chisholm, will be erected at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue to Prospect Park. The monument, designed by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, is composed of painted steel, patinated bronze and carved stone. The design features a monumental portrait of Chisholm patterned with images of plants native to Brooklyn and Barbados, where Chisholm spent ages five through nine, including Pride of Barbados, American Chestnut and Wild Geranium, juxtaposed with the silhouette of the nation’s Capitol Building. The stonework surrounding the monument includes a Chisholm quote and an outline of the House of Representatives seating plan, with a bronze plaque representing Chisholm’s seat.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2025
Shirley Chisholm Pavilion
Through $6.75 million in funding from the New York City Council, including Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Brooklyn Delegation, led by Council Members Shahana Hanif, Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph, and former Council Majority Leader and current Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, Prospect Park Alliance will restore a disused restroom facility at the Ocean and Parkside Avenue entrance to Prospect Park into a new facility featuring restrooms and visitor information. The Pavilion will complement a new monument to Shirley Chisholm that will be erected at this entrance honoring the significance of her role in the history of Brooklyn. An additional $125,000 from Assembly Member Brian Cunningham will go toward exhibit panels celebrating her life and work.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Third Street Playground Restoration
Through $3 million in funding from the City, Third Street Playground will be restored with new play equipment and climbing structures, new safety surface, a water feature, and new lighting, benches and landscaping.
Estimated Design Completion: 2025
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Willink Restroom Restoration
Council Member Crystal Hudson has allocated $765,000 and Council Member Rita Joseph has allocated $500,000 to fund the first phase of the $4 million restoration of the Willink Restroom, which serves the park’s Children’s Corner (home to the Carousel, Zoo and Lefferts Historic House). This heavily used facility is a historic landmark, designed by the Boathouse’s famed architects Helmle & Huberty, and has not been touched by restoration since 1991. Work will include a full upgrade of the building, with a new roof, lighting, plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems, and new gender-neutral restrooms.
Estimated Design Completion: 2026
Estimated Construction Completion: 2028
Vale Restoration
Through $40 million in funding from the Mayor, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring approximately 10 acres in the 27 acres of the park’s northeast corner. This includes the historic Children’s Pool in the Lower Vale, which will restore the historic details of this turn of the 20th-century water feature, while enhancing its role as a bird habitat. The project will also transform a former rose garden in the Upper Vale into a new visitor destination and woodland habitat. Through an intensive, multi-year community outreach effort, a vision was created for this area of the park, which includes the creation of a pollinator garden and planted arbor; a nature exploration area for families; an open lawn area and a small pavilion with composting restrooms and a green roof. Learn more about this project on our website.
Estimated Design Completion: 2024
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Procurement Phase
Children’s Corner Path Improvements
Through $425,000 in funding through District 39 Participatory Budgeting, Prospect Park Alliance will improve pathways in the park’s Children’s Corner: enhancing accessibility and use of this important destination for families that is home to the Prospect Park Zoo, Lefferts Historic House and the Prospect Park Carousel.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Esdale Bridge
Through $500,000 in funding allocated through District 39 Participatory Budgeting, Prospect Park Alliance will restore this historic rustic bridge, which connects the Long Meadow to the woodland Ravine.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Litchfield Villa Entrance Restoration
Through $1.5 million in funding from the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, Prospect Park Alliance is improving accessibility to the Litchfield Villa. The project will create a new ADA-compliant entrance, which includes restoring a portion of the original brownstone wall, installing a new cast stone ramp, reconstructing the existing entrance steps and landing, and bringing the interior vestibule of the Villa to ADA code compliance.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Maintenance Compound
Through $5.57 million in funding from the Speaker and the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, Prospect Park Alliance is building a new Maintenance Compound. This new facility will provide offices and equipment storage for Alliance and NYC Parks Landscape Management and Maintenance + Operations staff, who currently are housed in facilities around the park.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue Entrance + Perimeter Restorations
Prospect Park Alliance is undertaking a $16.25 million restoration of the Parkside and Ocean Avenue perimeters and entrance to the park, which is made possible through $10.5 million in funding by the New York City Department of Transportation; $3.5 million in funding from the Brooklyn Borough President; $1 million in funding from the Mayor; and $1.25 million in funding from New York City Council District 40. This large-scale restoration will include reconstructed sidewalks and new lighting, street furniture and trees; and the addition of a protected bike lane. A focal point of the entrance will be a new monument to Brooklyn political trailblazer U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm, who was both the first black Congresswoman and the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. This project continues the Alliance’s work to restore the perimeter of the east side of the park, including the Flatbush Avenue perimeter, which was funded by the Borough President and former Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Vale Restoration
Through $40 million in funding from the Mayor, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring key landscapes in the park’s northeast corner. This includes the Children’s Pool in the Lower Vale, which will bring back historic details of this landmark landscape while enhancing its role as a wildlife habitat. The project will also transform a former rose garden in the Upper Vale into a new visitor destination and woodland habitat. Through an intensive, multi-year community outreach effort, a vision was created for this area of the park, which includes the creation of a pollinator garden and planted arbor; a nature exploration area for families; an open lawn area; and a small pavilion with composting restrooms and a green roof. Learn more about this project on our website.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2027
Parkside + Ocean Avenue Entrance Pergola
Through $750,000 in funding from Council Member Rita Joseph, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring the pergola at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance. Created in the 1890s as part of the City Beautiful movement, this historic element was designed by famed architects McKim Mead & White. The project will restore the Pergola as closely as possible to the historic design by replacing the timber trellis, cleaning the granite surfaces, repointing the stone, grouting joints and recreating the wood lattice screen.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Prospect Park Tennis House Restoration
Through $3.6 million in funding from the Mayor, the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring the historic Prospect Park Tennis House, which was designed by the same architects as the Prospect Park Boathouse, and originally served as a facility for lawn tennis players at the turn of the 19th century. Located along the Long Meadow near the park’s 9th Street entrance, the Tennis House has been closed to the public for the last decade. This Alliance will restore this beautiful structure, create public restrooms and bring the building back to public use. Improvements will include restoration of the roof, restoration of exterior tile, the cleaning of the stone facade and brickwork, and the renovation of restrooms.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2026
Construction Phase
Grand Army Plaza Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch Restoration
Through $6 million in Mayoral funding, Prospect Park Alliance is restoring the historic Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in Grand Army Plaza. The project will replace the Arch’s roof, clean and repoint the brick and stone structure, restore the interior brass and iron staircases that lead to the roof, and replace the interior and exterior lighting. The Memorial Arch, which commemorates the Civil War, is Brooklyn’s most significant monumental public artwork. It was designed by John Duncan and completed in 1892 to commemorate the Union’s soldiers and sailors. The Arch is adorned with three bronze statuary ensembles by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2025
MTA Substation Improvements
MTA is renewing the 13th Street Substation situated under Prospect Park at Prospect Park West and 13th Street, along the F and G lines. The first phase of the project requires excavation of the landscape to repair and replace underground ducts with electrical cables that feed the station. This includes the removal of park benches and trees, which will be replaced in kind or through restitution, and the redirection of pathways both inside and along the park perimeter. This work includes the installation of new power equipment, new ventilation, and structural work for the substation, which is not expected to disrupt access within the park.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2025
Parade Ground Field 9 Restoration
Through $1.5 million in funding from Council Member Rita Joseph, the Alliance will replace the turf on Field 9 at the Parade Ground, renovate pathways and install ADA-accessible drinking fountains. This field is a beloved destination for a range of sports and sees heavy use by the community.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2025
Water Line Replacement
Through $1.4 million in funding from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Prospect Park Alliance will be replacing nearly century-old valves and sections of water main pipes that feed the Prospect Park watercourse. The project will also include installing a control system to regulate the outflow of water that feeds the park’s watercourse, and installing a reduced pressure zone assembly (RPZ valve) to protect the New York City water supply.
Estimated Construction Completion: 2025