Westwood Park a hidden gem on Staten Island. Its story begins not with a grand opening but with a highway. The Staten Island Expressway. A colossal project of the mid-20th century. It reshaped the landscape. Leaving behind unused land. Land that would eventually become Westwood Park.
This wasn’t always a park. In 1958 seven acres of this land were given to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. For over a decade it lay untouched. Surrounded by the slow growth of a new neighborhood. Gannon Avenue South to the north. Westwood Avenue to the south. Woodward Avenue to the west. Woolley Avenue to the east.
Then in 1973. A collaboration blossomed. The city and the Sunrise Hill Civic Association joined forces. They created a playground. A children’s basketball court. A Swedish gym. Even a steam engine replica. Sadly. The joy was short-lived. Local teenagers damaged the equipment. By 1980. The playground was gone. Only trees remained. Pin oaks sugar maples and sweetgums. Nature reclaimed the space.
Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern later renamed it Westwood Park. After one of the streets bordering this quiet green space. Westwood Park a testament to the enduring power of nature. A reminder that even in the heart of urban development. Nature finds a way. A park reborn from highway construction. From a failed playground. A park that shows how even abandoned spaces can find new life. And a perfect place to sit and reflect on Staten Island’s history.