Saratoga Park is one of the many beautiful greenspaces Brooklyn has to offer. It’s the second largest park in Bedford-Stuyvesant, named for the nearby Saratoga Street, which takes its name from the Battles of Saratoga during the Revolutionary War. According to the New York City Parks Department, the word Saratoga might be Iroquois or Mohawk in origin, perhaps meaning either “springs from hillside” or “place of miraculous water in rock.”
Before it became a park, the land was owned by James C. Brower and his family. Brower owned a hardware business, helped organize the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Association, and served as president of the German American Bank. Brower was also interested in the real estate business, acquiring several parcels of land, including an undeveloped section known as Saratoga Square, bordered by Saratoga and Howard Avenues and Halsey and Macon Streets. The land was being used to host traveling circuses when the city approached Brower about purchasing it for the purpose of a public park.
The city purchased the land in 1896 for $121,975 and began paving paths, planting trees, and enclosing it in an iron fence. In it’s annual report, the Parks Department described it as “An attractive pleasure spot for the people.”
In 1913 a playground was proposed for the popular park, spearheaded by George Hanna. Hanna was President of the Associated School Boards of Brooklyn and also served as the head of a group tasked with securing public playground space for Brooklyn’s children. The location was selected on a visit to the Public Recreation Commission with the Pratt Institute’s George D. Pratt. Poring over maps, Pratt noticed the small greenspace on Howard and Halsey Streets and suggested the location to Hanna. Hanna presented the idea to School Board District 32, who sent a letter of interest to Mayor Gaynor.
An early supporter of the park was Frank Perkins, principal of PS 26. Speaking to the Times Union, he lamented the loss of Saratoga field, a lot adjoining Saratoga Park that had been recently developed. The lot had served as a sports field for neighborhood children, who were now left without a dedicated play area. Saratoga Park, while abundant with grass and trees, was not a welcoming place for the children. “Keep off grass” signs dotted the park, and a police presence kept the children from straying off the paved path. “Play is part of the legitimate business of the normal child” he told the Times Union. “Playgrounds properly managed are splendid instruments for the development of honest competition, fair play, self-control, and in many ways mental, moral and physical development.”
Local support was not unanimous. Some residents were so disturbed by the proposal they formed the Saratoga Park Protection Association, gathering a petition with 2,500 names in protest. The Association Chair, Theodore P. Fritz didn't mince words when it came to his objections. He told The Chat, “We fully realize what class of people a playground in Saratoga Park would bring to our neighborhood. If this playground was picked out for a tenement district it would be alright. It is not needed here.” Local resident Edwards Weinig added, “If this park be turned into a playground it will not be long before it is overrun with young hoodlums, and my children and the children of other neighbors will not longer find any pleasure there.”
Association members contacted city officials and even showed up at the office of Park Commissioner Kennedy to present the petition and demand action to stop the playground. Fritz called Kennedy’s office several times and began harassing Alderman Weston, who told The Chat, “He was to see me everyday, if not at the Aldermanic Chamber, then in my office. He was on the job all the time.” The Association’s hard work paid off when a letter from the Board of Estimate arrived informing them that plans for a playground had been canceled. Fritz took little comfort in his victory, telling The Chat, “Despite the good news, we’ll have to keep our eyes open and continue to watch Saratoga Park so as not to let the unexpected happen.” No word on how the neighborhood children took the news.
The idea for a playground was pitched again in May 1926, this time pitting the residents of Halsey Street against the residents of Macon Street. The children of Halsey Street used the street as their playspace, which was becoming dangerous as car traffic increased. The children were still not allowed to play on the grass of Saratoga Park, making the playground a safe, attractive option. The families of Macon Street were fiercely opposed, enlisting Democratic District Captain John J. Daly, who pleaded their case to Alderman John Cashmore. Theodore Fritz died in 1922, otherwise he certainly would have led the opposition. The compromise Daly presented was that the children be allowed to play on Macon Street, where the traffic was less of an issue. The families of Halsey Street disagreed, but with Daly and Cashmore siding with the Macon Street families there was little to be done. The children of Bed-Stuy were once again denied a playground of their own.
John Cashmore eventually had a change of heart. In May 1936 he announced that Saratoga Park would be redesigned to build a modern playground, hopefully serving as the model playground in Brooklyn. Cashmore reasoned to the public that this was the only reasonable space without purchasing privately owned land for demolition. “Unfortunately, the city has no funds, nor has it ever made any appropriations for the purchase of privately owned property for playground purposes. Commissioner Moses has reaffirmed my belief that such a purchase could only be accomplished through local assessment.” The children of Bed-Stuy finally got the playspace they deserved, all thanks to the threat of increased taxes.
The playground was updated in 2000 to add new equipment, a spray shower, new fencing and repaving. In 2019, a total redesign was announced. The plan is still in the procurement phase, but we’re crossing our fingers that it wont be met with too much opposition from Brooklyn’s mean spirited adults.
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