Mount Prospect Park facts for kids
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Mount Prospect Park is a 7.79-acre (3.15 ha) park in the heart of Brooklyn, New York City. It is home to Mount Prospect, which is the second highest spot in Brooklyn. You can find this park on Eastern Parkway near Underhill Avenue, close to Grand Army Plaza. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation takes care of the park.
It is important to know that Mount Prospect Park is different from the much bigger Prospect Park. Prospect Park is just across Flatbush Avenue. Mount Prospect Park is also surrounded by other cool places. To its east is the Brooklyn Museum, to the south is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and to the west is the Central Library of the Brooklyn Public Library.
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History of Mount Prospect Park
For a long time, before the 1800s, the area where Mount Prospect Park now stands offered amazing views. You could see Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of New Jersey and Staten Island to the west. The Atlantic Ocean was visible to the south, and Long Island stretched out to the east. The park was named "Mount Prospect" because of these fantastic views. The highest point is about 200 feet (61 meters) above sea level.
A Lookout Point in the American Revolution
This high spot was very important during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, soldiers from the Continental Army used it as a lookout. They were defending the Heights of Guan during the Battle of Long Island. This battle, sometimes called the Battle of Brooklyn, was fought very close to this area.
The Old Reservoir
In 1856, the City of Brooklyn built a large reservoir on top of Mount Prospect. A reservoir is like a big tank that holds water for a city. Later, an even bigger one, the Ridgewood Reservoir, was added.
In 1860, there were plans to include Mount Prospect in the new Prospect Park. Famous designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted were creating Prospect Park. They had also designed Central Park in Manhattan. However, they decided not to include Mount Prospect. This was because Flatbush Avenue, a main road, would cut through the park and separate it.
From City Control to Park Land
The City of Brooklyn kept the land. Later, in 1898, it became part of the City of Greater New York. There were many ideas for what to do with the land that wasn't used for Prospect Park. Some thought about dividing it into city streets and building lots.
A big part of this land became "Institute Park," which was a private park. This private park later grew into what we know today as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Botanic Garden is still a private place and first opened its doors in 1911.
The city continued to use the reservoir at Mount Prospect. But by the 1930s, New York City started getting its water from places far away in Upstate New York. A new water tunnel was finished in 1936, making the Mount Prospect reservoir no longer needed. So, the Department of Water Supply gave the site to the Park Department. Workers began to tear down the old reservoir in 1938. Finally, Mount Prospect Park was officially opened on May 27, 1939.
