Prospect Park Celebrates 150th Birthday

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Prospect Park celebrated its 150th birthday on Thursday with cake and a tree planting.

On Oct. 19, 1867, the park opened its doors to the public for the first time. It remains a sunny, green haven for Brooklynites and a destination for people from around the city, country and world.

"A hundred and 50 years, that’s just amazing that these two guys, [Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert B. Vaux], they did their practice at that one place, Central Park, something like that," joked Marty Maher, the Brooklyn commissioner at the city's Parks Department. "And they practiced and made a lot of mistakes, but then they came over and perfected it and made Prospect Park here."

Maher also called the park "a safe haven for people and for cows," referring to the park's unexpected visitor earlier in the week.

Sue Donoghue, the president of the nonprofit Prospect Park Alliance, which works closely with the city to maintain the park, told Patch that the park has survived for so long because it serves as a getaway from hectic city life.

"We live in a big, busy city and the park provides respite. The really distinctive thing about Prospect Park versus a lot of other parks is, you can be in this park and not know you’re in the city any more," she said.

"People need that. There’s more and more studies about green and nature and people’s well-being."

Robert Carroll, the state assemblyman who represents the park and grew up just blocks away from it, agreed.

"Throughout my life, milestones have been marked here," he said. "I learned how to play baseball and ice skate and play tennis and ride a bike. I learned how to interact with nature and just use this contemplative space when you need to get away from the city, when you need to find a refuge."

If you want to take a quick trip through history, here's how the Brooklyn Daily Eagle recorded the park's opening 150 years ago:

Parks officials, elected leaders and park volunteers gathered in the Vale of Cashmere, in the northeast section of the park, on Thursday morning to plant a group of new trees — and eat a few slices of birthday cake — to celebrate the park's milestone.

The Empire State Building will also be lit green on Thursday night.

The Vale has been home to a group of hungry goats, who for two years munched away at invasive plants that sprung up on the forest floor after Hurricane Sandy wiped out a significant chunk of trees in the area. With the ground now cleared, volunteers on Thursday planted a few dozen trees in one section of the Vale to restore the forest in the area.

As for the park's future? Donoghue pointed to the work the alliance was doing on projects like the Rose Garden and adding new entrances on Flatbush Avenue.

"As the park continues to evolve and the neighborhoods evolve, we want to make sure we're adapting with that," Donoghue said. "So we want to open up the park and make it as accessible as possible to all the communities around the park."

The alliance is encouraging community members to get involved in planning future projects. For example, the group is hosting three planning sessions about the Rose Garden restoration that you can RSVP for here.

"Recognize the incredible asset that we have here, and come out and support it and appreciate that you have these 585 gorgeous acres," Donoghue said.

Photos by Marc Torrence, Patch Staff