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CP092016

C R Y D E R P O I N T September17 A Walk in the Park By Jill Davis The summer of 2016 is about to become a memory and the kids are back at school. But the weather’s still nice, so why not grab a weekend afternoon and savor these last warm days? Queens has thousands of acres of parkland, and I became curious about some of the ones in and around our area. Read on for a little history about a couple of them. Information for this article was collected from the New York City Department of Parks’ website: www.nycgovparks.org. Enjoy! connected to Utopia Parkway and the waterfront path by an asphalt walkway. In May 2015, the Parks Department opened an expanded parking lot with green infrastructure elements to aid in storm water management, and in February 2016 a brand new heated comfort station opened for public use. Most recently, work began in April of this year to refurbish the park’s soccer field, a $1.6 million project. It is expected to be completed by April 2017. www.qNS.com | September 2016 | CRYDER POINT Courier 17 Little Bay Park Cross Island Pkwy. between Utopia Pkwy. and Totten Ave. This is the closest park to Cryder point, just a couple of hops, a few skips and one long jump away. It wasn’t always called Little Bay Park, and it’s a lot bigger than I thought. The Parks Department acquired the property now known as Little Bay Park in September, 1950. The agency had planned to develop the area but the construction of the Throgs Neck Bridge, which began in 1955, and the New York City fiscal crisis of the 1970s, ultimately killed that proposal. It was previously known as Clearview Park and renamed in 1973 (I like the current name better, not that it matters). The southern viaduct of the Throgs Neck Bridge intersects Little Bay Park, so its use as a beach is very limited; however, the terrific views of the bridge, Little Neck Bay and the East River more than compensate. That may be why the park has received a good share of funding for improvements and maintenance over the past 20 years or so. In July 1998, the park received over $650,000 in renovation funding sponsored by Council Member Michael J. Abel, which included the refurbishment of the athletic fields. In August 1999, Council Member Abel sponsored an additional $1.2 million renovation that provided a roller hockey rink and a shoreline bicycle path (designated as part of the New York City Greenway). The park also includes two football/soccer fields, a baseball field, and sitting areas along the shore on its 55 acres. The park is especially popular for its dog run, which was permanently installed in 2010. The run is divided for small and large dogs and is Crocheron Park 214 Place between 33 Ave. and 35 Ave. Crocheron Park is just about three miles from Cryder Point, which is a nice run for all you joggers out there. If you prefer to drive, you’ll be there in 10 minutes tops, and there’s ample parking. As is typical of many parks in Queens, Crocheron Park started out as a farm owned by, guess who, the Crocheron family. John Crocheron got things going back in the 1600s, and his descendants continued to live on the property for decades. Here’s where things get a little dicey: What became known as the “Old Crocheron House” was a favorite site for picnics and clambakes among crooked Tammany Hall politicians in the latter 1800s. In fact none other than William “Boss” Tweed himself took refuge at the house after he escaped from jail in 1875 where Crocheron Park Tennis Courts he had been held on corruption charges. Although he managed to escape to Spain the next year, things didn’t end well for Mr. Tweed--he was soon extradited back to the U.S. and died in prison of pneumonia in 1878. Back to the Crocherons: The house burned down in 1907, and the property sat unused for nearly 20 years. In 1924, New York City bought the land where the house once stood, and in 1925 the Bayside Civic Association requested that the City purchase another 45 acres of the estate. By 1936, the City had developed the park with picnic grounds, winding walks, an enlarged lake for wintertime skating, and thousands of trees. Since then, the Parks Department has added a playground, a dozen tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and a field house. Among the nicest features of the park are the gazebos that dot the highpoints of the park and have terrific views overlooking Little Neck Bay. The park got bigger in the 1960s. Broadway producer John Golden was a long-time resident of Bayside whose property was adjacent to Crocheron Park. When he died in 1955 he bequeathed his land to the City “for the use and enjoyment by the young people of the community…” Golden Park was the result, and it was designed with paths to link it with Crocheron Park; together, the two parks cover more than 60 acres of land. Crocheron Park Little Bay Park Golden Pond at Crocheron Park


CP092016
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