Prospect Park Alliance

$8.9M restoration of Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Arch is complete

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Malcolm Pinckney

June 6, 2025

$8.9M restoration of Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Arch is complete

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A Brooklyn icon has been restored. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza reopened on Thursday following a $8.9 million renovation, the city's Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance announced. The two-year project replaced the arch's roof, cleaned and replaced the brick and stone structure, repaired interiors, including the cast-iron spiral staircase, and added new lighting. The landscape surrounding the arch was also revitalized with new plants, trees, paving, and an accessible curb cut.
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Sustainable cafe with coffee and cocktails opening at Prospect Park Boathouse terrace

Photo courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance on Flickr

June 28, 2024

Sustainable cafe with coffee and cocktails opening at Prospect Park Boathouse terrace

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A new food and drink vendor is opening on the terrace of Prospect Park's iconic Boathouse. The Prospect Park Alliance on Wednesday announced the opening of Purslane Cafe, which will offer healthy and sustainably sourced food and coffee, as well as cocktails, wine, and beer on select evenings. Starting July 4, the cafe will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Prospect Park to debut ‘Ancestral Whispers’ art installation, honoring Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family

In the Face of History, Freedom Cape, 2020 c. Adama Delphine Fawundu

May 20, 2024

Prospect Park to debut ‘Ancestral Whispers’ art installation, honoring Africans enslaved by the Lefferts family

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The inaugural work of the Lefferts Historic House museum's first artist-in-residence debuts in Prospect Park next month. Artist Adama Delphine Fawundu's "Ancestral Whispers" is a site-specific installation honoring the heroism of the individuals enslaved by the Lefferts family from the farmhouse's construction in 1783 to the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827. Inspired by research conducted by the Prospect Park Alliance, Fawundu created 25 fabric banners to be displayed on the museum's Flatbush Avenue facade. The installation will be on view starting June 9.
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‘Park of Dreams’ brings vibrant public art to Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza during renovation

All photos by Javier Romero courtesy of ART FOR CHANGE

February 9, 2024

‘Park of Dreams’ brings vibrant public art to Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza during renovation

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A new site-specific public art installation is livening up Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza during the renovation of its famous Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch. ART FOR CHANGE and the Prospect Park Alliance this week revealed "Park of Dreams," a public art exhibition displayed on the construction fencing surrounding the iconic Arch. The large-scale artworks, created by contemporary artists like Jules de Balincourt, Marcus Brutus, Kelly Beeman, Danielle Orchard, Amy Lincoln, and others, will be on view through the spring.
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Prospect Park reopens Fallkill Waterfall trail after nearly 30 years

All photos courtesy of Caroline Ourso

October 26, 2023

Prospect Park reopens Fallkill Waterfall trail after nearly 30 years

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New Yorkers can now access a waterfall in Prospect Park without having to hop a fence for the first time in decades. The Prospect Park Alliance on Thursday opened Fallkill Trail, a new woodland pathway leading to the scenic Fallkill Waterfall that has been behind fencing since 1995. The new trail was created by staff and volunteers from Prospect Park Alliance who worked to remove invasive plants, plant native species, haul logs, grade paths, and form the trail.
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City pilot will add more pedestrian space to Prospect Park’s roadway

Photo by Prabu Vasan for Prospect Park Alliance

March 8, 2023

City pilot will add more pedestrian space to Prospect Park’s roadway

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Prospect Park's main roadway is getting a revamp. The Prospect Park Alliance and the Department of Transportation on Tuesday released the results of a year-long study of Prospect Park Drive, a busy loop within the park for pedestrians, joggers, and cyclists. Conducted by leading traffic consultancy Sam Schwartz, the NYC Parks Department, and DOT, the study analyzed crash data, roadway grade, pedestrian count, and other metrics to determine ways to improve the roadway. As a result of the study, the city is piloting adding a second lane on the outside of the drive, which would limit the need for crossings and prevent collisions.
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Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

Rendering of the proposed northeast pavilion. All renderings courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

March 1, 2023

Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

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The city's Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance this week unveiled plans for the restoration of the Vale of Cashmere. The proposal, presented during a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Tuesday, includes a new pollinator garden, natural exploration play areas, a planted arbor, and a wooden pavilion with a green roof and bathrooms. Several LPC commissioners, preservationists, and LGBTQ+ advocates opposed the proposal for the Upper Vale, with most taking issue with the plan's erasure of the site as a significant meeting spot for the city's queer community as well as the disregard for the original vision of the Vale.
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Free classes taught by immigrant professors and experts return to Prospect Park

Photo credit: Gregg Richards

September 2, 2022

Free classes taught by immigrant professors and experts return to Prospect Park

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A "pop-up university" offering free classes and workshops taught by immigrant professors and experts from around the world returns to Brooklyn this month. Organized by the Brooklyn Public Library and the Prospect Park Alliance, University Open Air provides immigrant teachers, professors, and academics who were trained outside of the country a chance to share their knowledge with the public during free courses held outdoors in Prospect Park. University Open Air takes place on the lawn outside of the Boathouse in Prospect Park on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from September 8 through September 18.
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NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

All images courtesy of Daniel Avila / NYC Parks

April 8, 2022

NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

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Throughout April, the city's parks will celebrate the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect whose visionary work on Central Park, Prospect Park, and many other public parks helped influence the future of urban green space design. The Parks Department will be teaching New Yorkers about Olmsted's influence on urban design with an exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery, tours led by the Urban Park Rangers, and much more.
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Brooklyn cafe Winner to open at Prospect Park’s Picnic House this spring

Photo credit: Chadwick Creative Arts; Courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

April 6, 2022

Brooklyn cafe Winner to open at Prospect Park’s Picnic House this spring

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A new food and drink concession is headed to Brooklyn's Backyard this spring. The Prospect Park Alliance on Wednesday announced Park Slope's Winner will open a new cafe on the lower level of Prospect Park's Picnic House, a charming Colonial Revival-style building in the park's Long Meadow. Offering baked goods, sandwiches, beverages, and picnic meals, Winner will serve parkgoers through December. Service will begin with breakfast and additional hours will be added weekly until Memorial Day when the cafe's regular hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
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Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

Rendering of the Sensory Garden and Rustic Arbor. Image courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance

December 17, 2021

Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

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On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the allocation of $40 million to restore Prospect Park’s Vale. This funding is the largest in the history of Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that manages the park. The Vale, also known as the “Vale of Cashmere,” is a 26-acre portion of the park's northeast corner known for its breathtaking foliage.
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Prospect Park’s colorful Concert Grove Pavilion with star-shaped stained-glass skylight reopens

Photos by Paul Martinka for the Prospect Park Alliance

April 8, 2021

Prospect Park’s colorful Concert Grove Pavilion with star-shaped stained-glass skylight reopens

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After being closed to the public for nearly seven years, the historic Concert Grove Pavilion in Prospect Park reopened this week following a restoration. Designed in 1874 by Calvert Vaux, who co-designed the Brooklyn park with Frederick Law Olmsted, the stunning structure features colorfully painted wood ceilings and iron columns, ornate wooden trim, and a star-patterned stained-glass dome.
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NYC unveils $9M plan to restore Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch lighting design test in 2019; Photo courtesy of Jordan Rathkopf/ Prospect Park Alliance

November 23, 2020

NYC unveils $9M plan to restore Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

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Plans to renovate Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza were unveiled this week, the first major restoration of Prospect Park's historic entrance in decades. The $8.9 million revamp focuses on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, including replacing the arch's roof, cleaning and restoring the brick and stone structure, repairing the interior staircases, and adding modern lighting to the exterior. Surrounding plaza and landscape berms that frame the plaza will also be restored and new native trees and shrubs will be planted.
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Prospect Park Picnic House will get a food and beverage concession

The second-floor entrance to the Picnic House, photo by Prospect Park Alliance via Flickr cc

March 3, 2020

Prospect Park Picnic House will get a food and beverage concession

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The 10 million visitors who walk through Prospect Park each year will have a new place to stop for food and drink very soon. The Prospect Park Alliance has issued an RFP for "the sale of food and beverage items from the ground floor Picnic House concession space." Currently, the Picnic House's second floor is a popular event and wedding venue, but the first floor is mainly unused.
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