Playground Seventy Five facts for kids

Playground Seventy Five is a public park in the Hillcrest area of Queens, New York. You can find it at 160th Street and 75th Avenue. The city of New York City got the land for this park in 1929. This happened when they were getting land to build Public School 154.

The part of the land that wasn't built on was saved to be a schoolyard. Later, in 1954, it was turned into the playground we see today.

How the Park Got Its Name

This playground is named after 75th Avenue. This street has a long history. In the 1800s, when the area was mostly farms, 75th Avenue was known as Quarrelsome Lane.

From Quarrelsome Lane to 75th Avenue

In 1911, Maurice E. Connolly, who was the president of the Queens area, wanted to make street names easier. He asked a special office to create a numbered system for all the roads in Queens. This system helped connect different parts of roads and got rid of streets with the same names.

Because of this plan, Quarrelsome Lane became 75th Avenue. Another nearby road, Black Stump Road, also got a new name: 73rd Avenue. Black Stump Road was named after tree stumps that marked the edges of farms.

A Diverse Neighborhood

The area around Playground Seventy Five is called Fresh Meadows. It was once known as Flushing Suburban. This neighborhood started to grow in the 1920s.

Welcoming New Neighbors

In the 1950s, many African Americans moved into the Flushing Suburban area. Unlike some other neighborhoods that changed a lot, Flushing Suburban stayed diverse. This means people from many different backgrounds continued to live there together for many years.

After Public School 154 got bigger in 1964, the park was looked after by two groups. The city's Parks Department and the Board of Education worked together to manage the playground.

Community Action and Support

The people living in Flushing Suburban were very active in their community. They formed a group called the Flushing Suburban Civic Association. This group helped make their neighborhood a better place.

Standing Up for Rights

The association took part in the civil rights movement. This was a time when people worked to end unfair treatment based on race. Residents protested against unfair actions in Queens. They also traveled to the southern United States to help people register to vote.

Caring for Playground Seventy Five

Since 1990, the Flushing Suburban Civic Association has organized volunteer cleanups for Playground 75. They also work with P.S. 154 and other local schools to offer sports programs for kids. This shows how much the community cares about their park and their young people.