28 TIMES • JUNE 25, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com old timer Ridgewood’s picnic parks of yesteryear What was old is truly new again. We were intrigued to learn of the opening of a new outdoor “hangout” in Ridgewood called Nowadays, a seasonal bar that will allow patrons to enjoy food, drink and music under summer skies both day and night. Those familiar with Our Neighborhood’s history can’t help but think how similar this concept is to the picnic parks that once lined Ridgewood before the turn of the 20th century, then slowly vanished from the scene as the rural community transitioned into an urban neighborhood. Families from across the city would venture out to the picnic parks on weekends to enjoy leisure time in nature. They’d bring lunch or purchase it from a park restaurant, enjoy games and other activities and the fresh air not found in industrialized Manhattan and Brooklyn. In fact, one such picnic parks of the past was located close to Nowadays’ Cooper Avenue location. Ridgewood Park, as it was called, opened in 1869 across 12 acres of land on the south side of Myrtle Avenue between present-day Seneca Avenue and Summerfi eld Street. The land owners leased the property to Johann George Grauer, who subsequently convinced local butcher Charles Deckelmann to close up shop and join his new venture. Grauer sublet the property to Deckelmann in September 1887 for the tidy sum of $8,000 per year, then began building a brewery adjacent to the park. Deckelmann prospered with Ridgewood Park and he soon joined a real estate venture with John Welz, a local beer brewer, and Ignatz Martin. In July 1892, the venture purchased 34 acres of land on the north side of Myrtle Avenue between present day 83rd Street and Woodhaven Boulevard in what is now Glendale. From that parcel, Deckelman purchased outright from his partners an 8.6 acre segment of the property near the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard, then sold his interest in the remaining parcel. He transformed the 8.6 acre lot into another picnic park, Glendale Schuetzen Park, which featured a hotel, a restaurant, two dance halls, a carousel, a bowling alley, a stage, a museum and an indoor shooting gallery. One of the largest picnic parks in the area, Glendale Schuetzen Park could accommodate up to 7,500 people. The park’s centerpiece was a pole decorated with fruit, vegetables and fl owers during an annual harvest festival. Development and Prohibition in the early 20th century led to the demise of local picnic parks. After Brooklyn and Queens were incorporated into New York City i 1898, the city began to expand outward-- and the picnic parks provided the opportunity to develop new communities for families looking to escape Manhattan apartments and tenements. Some of the picnic parks in Ridgewood and Glendale included large lakes where guests could row boats on beautiful summer days. Picnic parks in Ridgewood and Glendale were popular places for children to play at the turn of the 20th century. If you have any memories and photos that you’d like to share about “Our Neighborhood: e Way it Was,” write to e Old Timer, c/o Ridgewood Times, 62-70 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood, NY 11385, or send an email to [email protected]. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned upon request. Photo below. This 1914 photo shows the harvest pole at Glendale Schuetzen Park, a picnic park located on 8.6 acres in the area of present-day Myrtle Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.
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