I admit: I have a love-hate relationship with the Prospect Expressway. I know Sufjan Stevens already got dibs on the BQE, but I would be more than happy cursing and praising the Expressway while I’m hula hooping in the South Slope.
The majority of my hate (or serious dislike, since we’re all about the love here) stems from living next to the Expressway three stories up from the traffic below. Its lovely dim roar was a kind of post-apocalyptic urban lullaby from which I could never escape. It also afforded beautiful views of Manhattan and the Empire State Building… as long as you could drown out the noise.
On the flip side, because the city knew what a grand gesture it was to split the South Slope up with a massive highway in the 1950′s, they planted a beautiful series of parks which line the Expressway with benches and picnic tables and trees and dog runs and small community gardens. Whew.
And lots of nice walking paths. I love them especially.
Check out a map here to see how these 15 small parks are laid out. And do yourself a favor next time you’re in the neighborhood — Take a walk, even if it’s nighttime!
[ed. note - Thanks to the fine folks at Brownstoner for featuring this shot. I learned from one of the commenters that the dog run along this stretch of the Expressway is unofficial, but there is a petition out to get it recognized by the city. If you're so inclined, sign it here!]
Peter Puleo
9 months ago
Very eye catching photo, strong European ambiance.
The Prospect Expressway is actually one of the most despised projects built in Brooklyn during the Robert Moses years. It sits on what was once Ocean Parkway and historically Ocean Parkway would end at Prospect Park meeting with Fort Hamilton Parkway at the circle on Coney Island Ave. Any street that carries the name Parkway in New York City is historically an extension of or link between parks, they were created as scenic drives. Although much fighting and perseverance saved Brooklyn from the onslaught that Robert Moses rained down on the Bronx the BQE and Prospect Expressway are small examples of what could have been had Robert Moses had his way.
Definitely a what if food for thought conversation.
Jill
9 months ago
Hey Peter! Yeah, hence the offhanded ‘grand gesture’ slam above. It’s so crazy to imagine how I would’ve reacted had a civil engineering project of the size and scope of the Expressway been foisted on my neighborhood. Heck, I’m intolerant of the gut remodeling my next-door neighbors are doing right now.
I didn’t realize that Ocean extended out this way — do you know how far west it ran? Interesting point about the connotations of “Parkway.” That makes perfect sense, even for Brooklyn street names!
Though most of my exposure to the Moses projects has been light reading and seeing Sufjan’s arty BQE project, it’s such a crazy history of what did, and as you point out, what could’ve happened. At least they had the foresight to create public spaces like these parks. For that, I am thankful!