After 10 years of delays, Bowne Park, an 11-acre site bordered by pricey colonial and ranch-style houses, is being restored.
The one-year, $800,000 reconstruction of the park, once the summer estate of Mayor Walter Bowne of New York, entails building a modern playground with new equipment, refurbishing lawns, draining the one-acre freshwater pond and restoring the surrounding stone wall, said JoAnne Armagrande-Savarese, chief of staff for the Parks Department's Queens borough office. In addition, foot and bike paths will be re-layed and benches replaced. Sections of the park will be closed for several months starting in the fall.
The project began in April. Landscaping, including new shrubs, trees and drinking fountains, will be done first to avoid interference with summer activities.
"We've been waiting a long time for this project to happen," said Louis Caldararo, president of the Bowne Park Civic Association. "In some cases, the money was there, but the contracts weren't in order and vice versa. Now, it's happening and we couldn't be more pleased."
Last year, the red-brick park house underwent more than $500,000 in renovations to include bathrooms and a community room.
Walter Bowne, who was Mayor from 1829 to 1833, built a summer house on the land. It was demolished shortly after the city bought the parkland in 1904 from the Bowne family.
"This is a hidden jewel," Ms. Armagrande-Savarese said. "People just go there to relax, and they feel like they're sitting in upstate New York." L.H.
Map of Queens showing location of Bowne Park.
