Hot Spot Tot Lot

Campus Rd. bet. E. 21 St. and Ocean Ave.

Brooklyn, 11210

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

“Tot lot” is a Parks expression used to describe a space used for the recreational purposes of small children. This particular one lies directly across the street from the Brooklyn College Football field, a “hot spot” for students. The park takes its name from a fusion of these two ideas.

In 1910, Brooklyn College opened as an extension of the City College for Teachers. The school expanded in 1917 in order to provide classes for any male who received a high school diploma. The college expanded again into rented space in the downtown business district of Brooklyn in 1926 and received accreditation as a two year institution. The Board of Higher Education authorized the school to become a co-ed four year institution in 1930. At the same time Brooklyn College became the first co-educational college in New York City.