Maria Hernandez Park
Park · Bushwick, New York
At 6.87 acres, the largest community park in Bushwick, with a circular plaza, a playground, dog runs and sports courts.
History
The site was once partially owned by the showman Phineas T. Barnum and his wife Nancy, who hosted circus activities and used it for storage. The City of Brooklyn bought the land from the Barnums and other owners in the early 1890s and had made it a showplace park by 1896, when it opened as Bushwick Park. The City Council renamed it in 1989 for Maria Hernandez, a local anti-drug activist shot in her Starr Street home that August.
Visit
Irving Ave. and Knickerbocker Ave., between Starr St. and Suydam St., Brooklyn
Photos
Photo "Entrance to Maria Hernandez Park": Barbara Hubert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo "Center plaza, Maria Hernandez Park": SnowFire, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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