Linden Park a hidden gem in Corona Queens. Did you know this small park predates Central Park? Linden Park opened in 1854. It was then known simply as Linden Park. Its namesake was a pond. A glacial kettle pond. A watering hole for livestock. Imagine ice skating on that pond. People once enjoyed ice skating there. They admired the fish too.
Linden Park sits on a rolling plain west of Flushing Meadows. The Corona neighborhood was founded in 1853 as West Flushing. It was renamed in 1868. Corona means crown. It was a symbolic crown on the landscape. National Race Course was the village’s main attraction. Horse racing! National Street still runs west of Linden Park today.
Linden Lake wasn’t always a recreational space. As the neighborhood grew the pond became a problem. Litter and stagnant water attracted mosquitoes. In 1912 they drained it. They relocated the fish and turtles. Then they paved the lake bottom in concrete. A fountain was installed. The restored lake was only two feet deep. They wanted a longer skating season.
That same year they erected a memorial. It honored Hugo E Kruse. He was killed in the explosion of the USS Maine. This triggered the Spanish-American War. The monument included a souvenir cannonball. World War I overshadowed the Spanish-American War. Today only a plaque commemorates the American fighters.
Linden Lake was filled in 1947. A baseball field and playground replaced it. The park faced challenges during the city’s financial difficulties in the 1970s. Vandalism plagued the park. There was a flooded baseball field. An unsafe playground and homeless encampments. Restorations occurred in 1997 and 2004.
In 2005 Linden Park was renamed Park of the Americas. This recognized the neighborhood’s large Latin American population. The ballfield kept the name Linden Park Ballfield. It’s a beautiful small park. A true testament to the history of Corona. A piece of New York City history. Remember Linden Park.