Ocean Parkway is a broad
boulevardBoulevard has several generally accepted meanings. It was first introduced in the French language in 1435 as boloard and has since been altered into boulevard....
and associated neighborhood in the west central portion of the
boroughNew York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is segmented into five boroughs. A borough is a unique form of government that administers the five fundamental constituent parts of the consolidated city...
of
BrooklynBrooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located southwest of Queens on the western tip of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
Ocean Parkway extends over a distance of about five miles (8 km), running almost north to south from the vicinity of
Prospect ParkProspect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
to
Coney IslandConey Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn, New York City, USA, with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The neighborhood of the same name is a community of 60,000 people in the western part of the peninsula, with Seagate to its west; Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to...
and
Brighton BeachBrighton Beach is a community on Coney Island in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.-Location:Brighton Beach is bounded by Coney Island at Ocean Parkway to the west, affluent Manhattan Beach at Corbin Place to the east, Gravesend at Neptune Avenue to the north , and the Atlantic Ocean to the...
. The parkway runs roughly parallel to
Coney Island AvenueConey Island Avenue is a roadway in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that runs for a distance of roughly five miles, almost parallel to Ocean Parkway. It begins at Brighton Beach Avenue, in Coney Island, and goes all the way to Parkside Avenue , where it becomes Prospect Park Southwest...
, an important commercial avenue several blocks to the east. It consists of a central bidirectional avenue of seven lanes, the middle lane being for left turns or a painted median, two small parallel side streets, and two
medianOn divided roads, including expressways, motorways, or autobahns, the central reservation , median , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic.-Physical attributes:Some medians function secondarily as "green...
s with trees, benches, and pedestrian paths.
Ocean Parkway is a broad
boulevardBoulevard has several generally accepted meanings. It was first introduced in the French language in 1435 as boloard and has since been altered into boulevard....
and associated neighborhood in the west central portion of the
boroughNew York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is segmented into five boroughs. A borough is a unique form of government that administers the five fundamental constituent parts of the consolidated city...
of
BrooklynBrooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located southwest of Queens on the western tip of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
Route description
Ocean Parkway extends over a distance of about five miles (8 km), running almost north to south from the vicinity of
Prospect ParkProspect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
to
Coney IslandConey Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn, New York City, USA, with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The neighborhood of the same name is a community of 60,000 people in the western part of the peninsula, with Seagate to its west; Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to...
and
Brighton BeachBrighton Beach is a community on Coney Island in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.-Location:Brighton Beach is bounded by Coney Island at Ocean Parkway to the west, affluent Manhattan Beach at Corbin Place to the east, Gravesend at Neptune Avenue to the north , and the Atlantic Ocean to the...
. The parkway runs roughly parallel to
Coney Island AvenueConey Island Avenue is a roadway in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that runs for a distance of roughly five miles, almost parallel to Ocean Parkway. It begins at Brighton Beach Avenue, in Coney Island, and goes all the way to Parkside Avenue , where it becomes Prospect Park Southwest...
, an important commercial avenue several blocks to the east. It consists of a central bidirectional avenue of seven lanes, the middle lane being for left turns or a painted median, two small parallel side streets, and two
medianOn divided roads, including expressways, motorways, or autobahns, the central reservation , median , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic.-Physical attributes:Some medians function secondarily as "green...
s with trees, benches, and pedestrian paths. The west median also has a bike path, part of the
Brooklyn-Queens GreenwayThe Brooklyn-Queens Greenway is a bicycling and pedestrian path connecting parks and roads in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, connecting Coney Island in the south to Fort Totten in the north, on Long Island Sound...
. The parkway is designated
New York State Reference Route 908H, an unsigned reference route.
History
Frederick Law OlmstedFrederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, landscape designer and father of American landscape architecture, famous for designing many well-known urban parks, including Central Park and Prospect Park in New York City...
and
Calvert VauxCalvert Vaux , was an architect and landscape designer. He is best remembered as the co-designer , of New York's Central Park....
(who were also responsible for
Central ParkCentral Park is a large public, urban park that occupies over a square mile in the heart of Manhattan in New York City. It is host to approximately twenty-five million visitors each year...
,
Prospect ParkProspect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
, and the
Eastern ParkwayEastern Parkway is a major boulevard that runs through a portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The road begins at Grand Army Plaza and extends east, running parallel to Atlantic Avenue, along the crest of the moraine that separates northern from southern Long Island, to Ralph Avenue...
) suggested the Ocean Parkway to Brooklyn park commissioners in reports prepared during the 1860s. They drew up a plan together for the parkway, inspired by boulevards in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
and
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(such as the present
Avenue FochAvenue Foch is a street in Paris, France, named after Ferdinand Foch in 1929. It was previously named Avenue du Bois de Boulogne.It is located in the XVIe arrondissement and runs from the Arc de Triomphe southwest to the Porte Dauphine at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne city park...
). In 1868 the land was acquired by the City of Brooklyn; work began in 1874 and was completed in 1880. The resulting parkway was similar to the Eastern Parkway, with a central roadway, a grassy median and pedestrian path, and a commercial road, with a total width of 210 feet (64 m). Trees, playing tables, and benches lined the pedestrian path and boulevard. The parkway began at Park Circle (now known as Machate Circle after Police Officer Robert Machate),
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10787 at the southern entrance of Prospect Park), and passed through
Windsor TerraceWindsor Terrace is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Prospect Park to the northeast and Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, to the southwest. Its southeastern boundary is Caton Avenue, while to the northwest it is bordered by Prospect Park West...
, Parkville, and other neighborhoods. As time passed, new neighborhoods (such as
KensingtonKensington is a neighborhood in the center of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the area south of Prospect Park and the Green-Wood Cemetery. It is bordered by Coney Island Avenue to the east, Caton Avenue/ Ft. Hamilton Parkway to the north, Dahill Road and 36th St to the west, and...
) were built along its route. The
Prospect ExpresswayThe Prospect Expressway is a short sunken highway in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, that runs southeast through Park Slope and Windsor Terrace between the Gowanus Expressway and the north end of Ocean Parkway. The Prospect Expressway comprises one leg of New York State Route 27.It was...
, built in the 1950s, replaced the northernmost half-mile of the parkway, and in 1975 the parkway was designated a landmark by the city to prevent any additional alterations.
The pedestrian path was split in 1894 to create the first bike path in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Around 1900, homes were constructed along the perimeter of the parkway, and during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, many mansions were built. Buyers came to Ocean Parkway from
Bedford-StuyvesantBedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City, USA, borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16...
,
Brooklyn HeightsBrooklyn Heights is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn; originally designated through popular reference as 'Brooklyn Village', it has, since 1834, become a prominent area of the Brooklyn borough. As of 2000, the Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,493 people. The...
, and
BushwickBushwick is a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by East Williamsburg to the northwest, Bed-Stuy to the southwest, the Cemetery of the Evergreens and other cemeteries to the southeast, and Ridgewood, Queens to the northeast. The...
. In the 1920s, apartment complexes and one- and two-family homes were constructed; the northernmost portion of the parkway became the site of luxurious,
elevatorAn elevator or lift is a vertical transport vehicle that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building...
-equipped apartment buildings.
Apartments began to replace older homes in the vicinity of the parkway after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Horse racing took place on the parkway until 1908, when a ban on open betting took effect. Until the parkway zoning was changed and restoration was carried out in the 1970s, bridle paths existed as well.
External links