Prospect Park Officially Opens 2 New Entrances, First Since 1940s

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Two new entrances to Prospect Park got the ribbon-cutting stamp of approval this week.

Parks leaders and elected officials gathered at Brookyn's backyard on Wednesday to officially cut the ribbon on two new entrances to the park on Flatbush Avenue, which were first announced in December as construction was wrapping up.

The entrances — the first to be added since the 1940s — are found in the northeast corner and near the Prospect Park Zoo and come after a $3.2-million city project through the Parks Without Borders program, which asks New Yorkers to nominate sites that most need an upgrade.

“We are so excited to formally cut the ribbon on this transformative project — a project I hold personally dear to me,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver. “The iconic Prospect Park is now even more inviting and accessible thanks to this investment from Mayor de Blasio and the efforts of our partners at the Prospect Park Alliance. When I imagined how Parks Without Borders (PWB) could improve and revitalize many of our beloved parks, I could not have pictured a more perfect example than Prospect Park."

Both entryways include new lighting, seating and landscaping, and the Rose Garden entrance comes as Prospect Park Alliance and the Department of Transportation plan other improvements to the area.

The upgrades will also include stepping stones that lead to an informal running trail on top of the berm and a rock scramble on the plaza with boulders from Brooklyn Methodist Hospital's building site.

The entrances are part of a larger restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter to the park, which has included an upgrade to the area between Grand Army Plaza and the zoo and an ongoing restoration of walking paths in the northeast corner of the park.

The Prospect Park Alliance is also in the early design phases of creating a covered horseback riding ring for this area of the park, according to the release.

Other parks up for renovation under the Parks Without Borders program include Van Cortlandt Park and Hugh Grant Circle / Virginia Park and Playground in the Bronx, Jackie Robinson Park and Seward Park in Manhattan, Faber Park on Staten Island and Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.