New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks.

The vast urban park system in New York City (over 29,000 acres) has its origins from a 1686 charter by Governor Thomas Dongan which provided for municipal stewardship of vacant and unappropriated land. This charter enabled the city to acquire and maintain public spaces including a marketplace, a military and parade ground, and a public commons in today's lower Manhattan. Constructed on part of the land from the original public spaces, Bowling Green, the oldest public park in New York City, was established in 1733. The establishment of public parks in Manhattan during the 18th century, combined with the popularity of the park-like Green-Wood Cemetery (1838) in Brooklyn, led to the establishment of the first major park in Brooklyn, Washington Park (now Fort Greene Park) in 1848.

Beginning in the mid-19th century, some of the city's greatest parks were designed and constructed. From 1858, when Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted won the design competition to construct Central Park, through the end of the 19th century, Vaux and Olmsted designed and constructed Riverside Park and Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. They also planned Eastern Parkway (1868-1874) and Ocean Parkway (1869-1876) which were intended to be landscaped routes connecting the parks in Brooklyn.

As early as 1839, the City of Brooklyn had plans to establish 11 public parks. But Brooklyn was slow to build enough parks to meet the needs of its fast growing population, so in 1859, the State Legislature appointed the Brooklyn Board of Park Commissioners. Within a year, the Board had proposed a site for what would become Prospect Park. In 1870, New York City established a new city agency to head both park construction and park management, the Department of Public Parks. When Brooklyn was incorporated into New York City in 1898, the borough of Brooklyn continued to maintain its own agency to manage its park system. In 1934, under Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the once separate borough park systems were unified into one organization and Robert Moses was appointed as its parks commissioner. As of 2011, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation remains the steward of the 29,000 acres of public spaces throughout the city.

From the guide to the Department of Parks, City and Borough of Brooklyn records, Bulk, 1885-1910, 1856-1945, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

In 1934, Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia united each of the five New York City borough parks departments under a new city-wide Department of Parks. That year, under the direction of commissioner Robert Moses, the department conducted a study titled "Comprehensive Survey of the Parks and Playgrounds in New York City," documenting all public spaces in the city overseen by the parks department. The study was conducted by Emil Praeger (1892-1973), chief engineer for the Department of Parks.

From the guide to the Praeger Department of Parks survey and photographs, 1934, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

The New York City Department of Parks was formed in 1934 when Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia discontinued the independent parks departments of the city's five boroughs and consolidated them to form a unifying administrative body to govern the entirety of the city's park system. LaGuardia appointed Robert Moses as the Parks Department's first commissioner. After becoming a branch of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration under Mayor John V. Lindsay in 1968, the Parks Department was reorganized as the Department of Parks & Recreation under Mayor Abraham D. Beame in 1976.

Prospect Park, located in Brooklyn, N.Y. was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the landscape architects responsible for Central Park and Riverside Park in Manhattan. Construction began in 1866 and continued into the 1870s. The park's design included a meadow, wooded ravine, and lake. Prospect Park was immensely popular upon opening, and attracted visitors from across the social classes. The park's rural scenery and recreation areas were supplemented by new features such as a zoo and playgrounds in the early 20th century. As of 2011, Prospect Park is one of the largest parks in Brooklyn and receives over eight million visitors each year.

From the guide to the New York City Department of Parks records on Prospect Park, 1965-1967, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

The New York City Department of Parks was formed in 1934 when Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia discontinued the independent parks departments of the city's five boroughs and consolidated them to form a unifying administrative body to govern the entirety of the city's park system. LaGuardia appointed Robert Moses as the Parks Department's first commissioner. After becoming a branch of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration under Mayor John V. Lindsay in 1968, the Parks Department was reorganized as the Department of Parks & Recreation under Mayor Abraham D. Beame in 1976.

From the guide to the New York City Department of Parks reports, 1950-1955, (Brooklyn Historical Society)