New BIG Field House To Be Built in Queensbridge Park

While perusing the Department of Buildings records, I came across a record of papers filed (and plan disapproved on 5/11/17) for a new field house in Queensbridge Park. I’ve always been fond of this park and would love to see it get more love. It’s been a resource for the community for many years—and it’s been featured in a variety of TV shows, like Person of Interest’s pilot, which gave us a magnificent view of the Queensboro Bridge, which runs through it.

But back to the new field house. It was supposed to be 1,510-square feet in area and 20 feet tall. I did a little research about the Queensbridge Park House and found via reporting by the Times Ledger (and a few other sources) that an even bigger structure is going to be built—at 15,500-square feet! It will cost $3 million ($2.5 million from the City Council plus $1 million from Mayor Bill de Blasio) and will be home to a bunch of different things:

• Community room
• Office area for Parks staff
• Public restroom
• Storage space for the department’s maintenance equipment
• Storage space for athletic teams associated with the nearby baseball, football and soccer fields

There will also be an outdoor plaza area surrounding the field house with seating, bicycle racks and drinking fountains. The Parks Department had projected that it would be finished by November 2017, but a revised schedule indicates they’ll start construction in fall 2017 and take a year or a year and a half to complete it. Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer represents this area, and he has something to say about this project on his website:

“One of my top priorities since taking office has been to improve Queensbridge Park for the seniors, families, and children of Queensbridge and Western Queens that use this park to enjoy nature, play team sports, and take in the breathtaking views. As part of this effort, I’m proud to have secured nearly $3 million in funding for the complete renovation of the Queensbridge Park House that will bring amazing new amenities to all who use this park. Today, we mark the exciting next step with the release of these new design renderings. I look forward to working with Commissioner Lewandowski and Parks to break ground in the Fall.”

Queensbridge Park really deserves something awesome like this and we are happy to see such improvements in this great park! Big thanks to Jimmy and the community for making a great effort to upgrade the park.