Roy Wilkins Recreation Center

Merrick Blvd. bet. 115 Ave., 116 Ave., and Baisley Blvd.

Queens

Roy Wilkins Recreation Center hours and programming

Roy Wilkins is far more than an ordinary park or recreation center. Named after the famed civil rights leader and former NAACP president, this unique public space is a cultural touchstone for all of New York City.

The park's 425-seat theater is home to its own troupe, the Black Spectrum Theatre, which is devoted to performing socially-conscious dramas. But the theater isn't the park's only innovation—a four-acre vegetable garden gives local kids and adults the opportunity to grow their own produce, an exceptional space in a city as crowded as New York.

And Roy Wilkins is well-loved for its other features, as well. When the weather warms up, the park's handball, basketball, and tennis courts are filled to the brim, and swimmers use its indoor pool all year long.

Discover the history of Roy Wilkins Recreation Center

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Know Before You Go

There are currently 2 service interruptions affecting access within this park.

Roy Wilkins Recreation Center

New York City’s recreation centers and indoor pools remain closed to the general public until further notice to provide COVID-19 related services as well as free childcare options for children who are scheduled for blended learning. To learn more or to apply for the childcare program, please visit the New York City Department of Education’s Learning Bridges program page.

Once we reopen, NYC Parks will extend all existing recreation center memberships to cover the length of time we are closed to the general public.

Roy Wilkins Recreation Center

The Department of Environmental Protection is advancing a project in Roy Wilkins Park to remove accumulated sediments and restore the original depth of the pond, reestablish its small island, and build a new bioretention basin garden upstream within the park to capture storm water runoff from Merrick Boulevard. Some portions of open landscape areas between the pond and Merrick Boulevard will be closed to the public to accomplish the work.
Anticipated Completion: 01/30/2021

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