The century-old beach is experiencing a resurgence in popularity
The most recent bout of oppressive summer heat is enough to make New Yorkers want to vacate the city in search of a relaxing seaside destination—and fortunately, such an idyllic escape exists right in Queens. For a century, Jacob Riis Park has served as a welcome escape for many city denizens, and it’s currently experiencing a resurgence that has led to record crowds. But it’s more than just a beach; it’s also an artifact from the oft-controversial Robert Moses era of NYC development that still resonates today.
The land that Riis Park now occupies was once home to Naval Air Station Rockaway, one of the U.S. Navy’s original stations. The first transatlantic flight ended here in 1919, operated by the US Navy using the Curtiss NC flying boat (NC-4). The NAS Rockaway remained in operation until 1930, when it was demolished to allow for the park’s construction. However, the NAS wasn’t eradicated; it was instead relocated across the Jamaica Bay inlet to Floyd Bennett Field.
The park is named for Danish-born photojournalist and social reformer Jacob Riis, who documented the squalid living conditions of the city’s poorest populations. His most famous works—the publications How the Other Half Lives (1890) and Children of the Poor (1892)—inspired then-police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to "close the worst of the lodging houses and spurred city officials to reform and enforce the city’s housing policies." Riis was also an advocate for playgrounds and open space, as well as a nearby resident of Jamaica, Queens. He played a prominent role in the acquisition what was once known as Telawana Park, and the space was renamed for him after his death in 1914.
The park is perhaps best known for its Art Deco bathhouse, which opened in 1932. Designed by John L. Plock for the architectural firm of Stoughton & Stoughton, the building was constructed of limestone, brick and cast-stone, and completed for $530,000. The pavilion accommodated 8,000 beachgoers and contained a cafeteria on the ground floor and on the second floor, a restaurant opening out to a terrace (Ballon and Jackson, 2007).
Moses’s involvement began in 1934 when he enacted a series of renovations and additions to the park to the tune of $1.7 million. In examining the handsome bathing pavilion, he concluded that it extended too far onto the beach, noting that during high tide the water lapped the front of the building. His solution: to remove one hundred feet from the front of the structure as well as some of the building’s architectural detail. In Hillary Ballon and Kenneth Jackson’s book, Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York, they describe Moses’s subtractions and additions as follows:
"He eliminated the part of the building that projected onto the beach and replaced it with a conspicuously incongruous concrete facade with squat columns supporting a convex upper floor punctuated by a ribbon window. He added two wings for dressing rooms at either side of the pavilion and spoiled the delicacy of the original towers by topping them with 15 feet of bleak unadorned brick. The heavy brick additions appear to squash the light, intricate stonework of the originals."
Moses commissioned a new bathhouse to be built to the west of the existing, renovated structure. It was designed by Aymar Embury II, who frequently collaborated with Moses on public projects. Completed in 1937, this one-story brick and concrete structure featured "simplified and flattened classical forms," in which Embury was "playfully imitating the classical tradition of stone columns without trying to mask the nature of his economical material," per Ballon and Jackson. A clock tower on the building’s west side was also added.
Moses’s plan also included a 40-foot wide boardwalk and expansive parking lot for 14,000 vehicles. In addition, a variety of amenities and recreational activities were added for beach goers, including playgrounds; courts for table tennis, handball and shuffleboard; and a pitch-and-putt golf course. Landscape architect Gilmore Clarke, who frequently collaborated with Moses, planted grasses and shrubs alongside the recreational facilities to create a distinct barrier from the boardwalk. The Parks Department would be solely in charge of all concessions and services, much to the chagrin of local businesses who were previously allowed to sell their provisions and wares without restriction.
Riis was designed to be reminiscent of Moses’s personal favorite project—Jones Beach, on Long Island—but with the benefit of being more accessible for New York City denizens. With the opening of the Marine Parkway Bridge in 1937, a visit to the beach was just a car ride or a bus fare away. Moses also wanted Riis Beach to be the antithesis of the crowded and amusement-driven Coney Island. As stated in Ballon and Jackson’s book, the New York Times described it as the following:
"Although Riis Park lies only six miles east of Coney Island it is a million miles away from the so-called Coney Island tradition. Thundering spray, instead of rattling roller coasters, makes the chief music of the beach."
New York City would retain ownership of the park until 1974, when the city’s dire financial crisis led it to be transferred to the National Park Service. Riis was absorbed into Gateway National Recreation Area, which includes 27,000 acres of coastal properties including the neighboring Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Fort Tilden, and Floyd Bennett Field. The 21st century has seen a resurgence in Riis Park’s popularity, thanks in part to the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, which has taken up residence in portions of the existing historic buildings. The venture has solidified Riis as an enviable, yet attainable, summertime destination.
Growing up in Brooklyn just across the Marine Parkway Bridge, Riis was a frequent summertime excursion. Years later, I am delighted to say that it still is. With each passing year, the increasing popularity of my hometown beach becomes more and more evident. Its picturesque natural landscape and restorative qualities that I have always known to be true have now become truth for others.
from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/3/12369062/jacob-riis-park-history-robert-moses
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