PARK FACT:

Originally built in 1914, Betsy Head Memorial Playground housed the city's first recreation facility designed to include a public outdoor swimming pool and bath house.

Betsy Head Memorial Playground

Livonia, Dumont, Hopkinson, & Blake avenues, & Strauss Street

Brooklyn

Acres: 10.55

Betsy Head Memorial Playground has been a presence in the neighborhood for almost 100 years. Built on land bequeathed to the city specifially for purposes of public health and recreation, it continues to serve the community as a nexus of activity today. The park has seen numerous improvements through the years, most notably the construction of the Play Center (pool and bathhouse), a monumental WPA-era building that set the bar for recreation facilities across the country. Visitors to the park today have many activities to choose from, whether it's shooting baskets, swimming laps, jogging around the track, or taking a personal tour of the landmark building.

This park is named for Betsy Head (1851-1907), a British immigrant who became a wealthy widow. Mrs. Head left the City of New York a bequest of $190,000 to build recreational facilities. She stipulated in her will that half of her residual estate should be given to sixteen charities, many of which were dedicated to the welfare of children, and the other half should be donated to the City of New York for the "purchase and improvement of grounds for the purposes of health and recreation." The land for Betsy Head Playground was paid for by the property owners of Brownsville at a cost of $250,000. The facilities of the playground were bought by the funds bequeathed by Mrs. Head.

Architect Henry B. Herts designed the new playground. It was built in 1915 by the Public Recreation Commission and turned over to the Parks Department later that year. The park included a rest pavilion, wading pool, playground, school farm garden, bath building, swimming pool, field house, running track, and tennis courts. It was one of the most complete and popular facilities of its time, embodying all the ideas current in recreation. A model of the playground was displayed at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and, according to the 1915 Parks Department Annual Report, "contributed greatly toward securing first prize for the New York City Parks exhibit."

In 1936 the park was extensively redesigned and the Olympic-sized swimming pool was constructed. Architect John Matthews Hatton's pool house exemplified the sleek Art Modern style with liberal use of glass block and a parasol roof. One of eleven pools built by the Works Progress Administration during the summer of 1936, the pool is a relic of the New Deal era. The construction project, organized by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, and funded by the federal government, was part of a citywide effort to erect recreational facilities in under-served neighborhoods. The pools represented the forefront of design and technology. They attracted aspiring athletes and neighborhood children. The influence of the pools extended through entire communities, changing the way millions of New Yorkers spent their leisure time. Although damaged by fire soon after it opened, the pool was rebuilt in 1939.

Betsy Head Playground underwent a $5.2 million rehabilitation in 1983. The work included the reconstruction of the pool, ballfields, running track, and field event facilities. Also, new landscaping, benches, water fountains, an outdoor comfort station, curbing, trees, and shrubs contributed to the park. The multi-use facility endures as a model of park design.