Roy Wilkins Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roy Wilkins Park
Roy Wilkins Family Center
Location	St. Albans, Queens, New York, US
Area	53 acres (21 ha)
Created	1977
Operated by	New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Open	6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Status	open

Roy Wilkins Park, first called Southern Queens Park, is a large park in the St. Albans area of Queens, New York City. It covers about 54 acres, which is like 40 football fields! The park is a great place for fun and activities. It has the Roy Wilkins Recreation Center, which is a community building with an indoor swimming pool. You can also find many outdoor sports fields, a playground, and a calm pond.

The land for the park used to be part of a hospital called the St. Albans Naval Hospital. In 1977, the land was given to New York City. Because the city didn't have much money at the time, a group called the Southern Queens Park Association helped take care of the park. In 1982, the park was named after Roy Wilkins, a famous leader who worked for civil rights. The recreation center opened in 1986. Over the years, Roy Wilkins Park has hosted many exciting events and concerts.

What Can You Find at Roy Wilkins Park?

The park's field house, a building used for sports and activities.

Roy Wilkins Park is located in St. Albans, a neighborhood in Queens. It's a big park, covering about 53 to 54 acres. Sometimes people still call it "Southern Queens Park," which was its first name before 1982.

The Roy Wilkins Family Center

The Roy Wilkins Family Center is a large building, about 50,000 square feet. It used to be part of the old Naval Hospital. This center is a hub for many activities. Its main feature is a huge Olympic-size swimming pool where you can swim laps. The center also offers fun programs like a daytime summer camp, after-school programs, and even counseling services.

Right next to the Family Center is a theater with 425 seats. It has rooms for piano and showing films. This theater is home to the Black Spectrum Theatre Company. This group started in 1970 and is the biggest African American theater company in Queens. They moved to Roy Wilkins Park in 1986.

Outside the Family Center, you'll find an African-American Hall of Fame. It has heavy medallions (like large medals) honoring important figures. These include Ralph Bunche, a diplomat, and Shirley Chisholm, who was the first black woman to be a U.S. Representative.

Sports and Play Areas

Basketball court, running track, and baseball field in Roy Wilkins Park

Roy Wilkins Park has many places to play sports. In one part of the park, you'll find two baseball fields, two tennis and handball courts, and two basketball courts. There's also play equipment for kids.

On the eastern side of the park, there are even more courts. You can find six more tennis and handball courts, four batting cages, and four more basketball courts. There's also more play equipment and restrooms in this area.

In the middle of the park, there are three cricket pitches and a running track. A famous hurdler named Dalilah Muhammad used to train on this track when she was growing up in Queens! The northern part of the park also has two more baseball fields.

Other Cool Features

There's an artificial pond located in the southeastern part of Roy Wilkins Park. This pond was created in 1997.

The park also has a large vegetable garden that covers about 4 acres. This is one of New York City's biggest community gardens, with 400 plots. People can grow their own vegetables here. The garden was started in 1980 on the site where old hospital buildings used to be. The vegetables grown here are usually for the families who tend the plots, not for selling.

Park History

From Hospital to Park

The land where Roy Wilkins Park now stands was once a golf course called the St. Albans Golf Course and Country Club. In 1942, the land was taken to build the St. Albans Naval Hospital, which opened in 1943. After the Vietnam War, the hospital started to close down. In 1973, it was ordered to shut completely.

Many ideas came up for what to do with the land. Eventually, part of the hospital became a facility for veterans, which is still open today. The rest of the land, which was not being used, was offered to New York City to become a park.

Creating the Park

Vegetation near the park's pond

A group called the Southern Queens Park Association (SQPA) was key to creating the park. They wanted to make the land available for the people living nearby. The city faced money problems around this time, so it was hard to pay for park improvements. The unused land was full of trash and empty buildings. One newspaper even described it as having "rat-infested" buildings and a "leaking swimming pool full of dead dogs."

The Southern Queens Park was officially started in 1976. The SQPA took over the job of maintaining the park, leasing it from the city for just $1 a year. Money was raised to help clean up the park. Volunteers also helped clear the land. In 1980, a flower and vegetable garden was started by senior citizens, and a jobs program for young people began. The city started to help with funding once its money problems were solved.

On June 29, 1982, the park was renamed Roy Wilkins Park. This honored Roy Wilkins, a leader of the NAACP, who had lived in Queens for a long time and passed away the year before.

In the mid-1980s, the city spent money to turn one of the old hospital buildings into the Roy Wilkins Family Center. It opened in 1986, and the swimming pool became the first indoor public pool in southeast Queens. The Black Spectrum Theatre Company also moved to the park that same year. In 1991, new baseball fields were built for the local Little League.

Recent Years and Improvements

Main entrance to the park at Foch and Merrick Boulevards

In 1988, plans were made to create the African American Hall of Fame at Roy Wilkins Park. Roy Wilkins was the first person honored in 1989. There were hopes to build a special building for the Hall of Fame, but funding became difficult after the events of September 11, 2001.

The park continued to improve over the years. The SQPA worked to make the park safe and added more sports fields. In 1997, the artificial pond was created, and a new stage was built for the theater.

More recently, in 2017, plans were made to fix the stage. In 2018, the park's track and field area was rebuilt. In 2019, money was set aside to upgrade the Nautilus Playground. There are also plans to renovate the Family Center's gym.

Events and Fun Activities

Roy Wilkins Park is a lively place that hosts many events throughout the year. By 1999, about 100,000 people visited the park's programs each year!

Some popular festivals include the Groovin in the Park Festival, which features reggae and R&B music. There's also the Jamaican Jerk Festival, a fun event celebrating Caribbean food and culture. Since 2003, the Roy Wilkins Recreation Center has also held an annual Art Exhibit, showing artwork from black artists. In the past, the park has also hosted events like the Family Festival and the Queens Jazz Festival.