

So 450 workers worked round-the-clock to make the vision a reality.

NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses saw an opportunity to rehabilitate the land and utilize the park even after the World’s Fair ended. The park was created in preparation to be the site for the fair in 1939. The World’s Fair was a huge worldwide event, meant to showcase the various achievements of nations. In both 19, Flushing Meadows Corona park hosted the largest international exhibitions to ever be held in the country. The World’s Fairs Credit: Anthony Conti / CC BY-SA 2.0 The idea of creating a park came shortly after this time period - in preparation for one of the world’s most celebrated events.
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Read more: We did a whole post about the TV shows and movies filmed in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and we even mentioned Fitzgerald’s book. Scott Fitzgerald famously referred to the dump as the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby.” The garbage trains were even accused of causing a polio outbreak in 1916. Many local residents fled due to the strong odors, rat infestations, and increase of mosquitoes. In 30 years of filling, the Corona Ash Dump held around 50 million cubic yards of waste and had mounds that rose 40-50 feet high. Since it was so far away from the developed parts of New York, the land was considered almost worthless. Early 1900sĭue to the Industrial Revolution, the wetlands became an ash dump at the turn of the 20th century.

The area very quickly became a waterfront resort for affluent New Yorkers. But by the 1800s, roads were built across the meadows and several railroads were laid out through the site. Wealthy landowners began building farmhouses while the meadows and wetlands (now the park) provided all kinds of natural resources. (Try saying Crown in a stereotypical Italian accent.) In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants were said to have renamed the area after moving into residences developed by Crown Building Company. 1800sĬurrent day Corona was once the Dutch settlement of Newtown, eventually known as West Flushing. The arrival of British settlers changed the name to Flushing. Flushing was originally known as Vissingen (after a city in the Netherlands) and then shortened to Vlishing. This area was first settled by Algonquian Native Americans and eventually taken over by the Dutch in 1640. The name of the park comes from the neighborhoods on either side. The history of Flushing Meadows Corona Park goes pretty far back.

History of Flushing Meadows Corona Park Credit: Patrick Stahl / CC BY-SA 2.0 So let’s take a journey through time and Flushing Meadows Corona park. From historic and scenic walking trails, to sports and community activities, there is so much about the park to learn and to love. In this post, we’ll explore the park’s past, along with everything that makes it special and worth visiting today. Open, the Queens Museum, and a beautiful public park. Flushing Meadows Corona Park was the site of two World’s Fairs in the 20th century and currently hosts the U.S. In between the neighborhoods of Flushing Meadows and Corona in Queens, New York is one of the city’s most iconic and historic parks.
