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See what your park was like 100 years ago! Get a visual impression of the historic events that have occurred in parks and find out how New York City's relationship with its greenspaces has changed and grown over time. All of the images in the Historic Gallery are culled from the Parks Department's Photo Archive, a repository of more than 200,000 images created by the Parks Department from 1856 to the present. The majority of the photographs were taken after 1933, and the collection is especially strong in representing the era when Robert Moses was Parks Commissioner (1934-1960).
To learn more about the history of parks in New York City, visit our History page. For additional information about the Photo Archive or a particular picture, please visit our Photo Archive page.
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Parkcentric: Photographs From The Museum of the City Of New York, 1890-1940
Multiple Parks
These photos were taken from Parkcentric: Photographs from the Museum of the City of New York, 1890-1940, an exhibition on view...
Without backyards of their own, many New Yorkers have had to improvise and create games to play over the decades. This history...
Multiple Parks
A collection of historical photos of Parks Department community and farm gardens.
The African American Experience
A group of images that celebrates African American icons and milestones in New York City's parks.
Photo Archivist Christina Benson has selected a few of her favorite images from the Parks Department's repository of over...
Multiple Parks
Historical pictures of Parks Department swimming pools throughout the five boroughs.
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