View source for Prospect Park (Brooklyn)

{{short description|Public park in Brooklyn, New York}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Prospect Park
| image = Prospect Park New York October 2015 003.jpg
| photo =
| image_size = 300px
| type = [[Urban park]]
| location = [[Brooklyn]], New York, United States
| coords_ref =
| area = {{convert|526|acre|km2}}
| length =
| width =
| coordinates = {{Coord|40|39|42|N|73|58|15|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| created = 1867–1873
| owner = [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|NYC Parks]]
| operator = Prospect Park Alliance
| visitation_num = about 8–10 million annually<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/about-prospect-park/history/timeline|title=Prospect Park Timeline|website=prospectpark.org|access-date=March 20, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530190154/http://www.prospectpark.org/about-prospect-park/history/timeline|archive-date=May 30, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/12/26/millions-and-millions-of-visitors-poured-into-brooklyn-bridge-park-this-summer/|title=Millions (and millions) of visitors poured into Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer|date=December 26, 2017|website=Brooklyn Eagle|language=en-US|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709004605/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/12/26/millions-and-millions-of-visitors-poured-into-brooklyn-bridge-park-this-summer/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| mapframe-custom = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=300|frame-height=300|zoom=10|type=shape|stroke-color=#000|frame-lat=40.682|frame-long=-73.965|stroke-width=1|id=Q1049632|title=Prospect Park}}
| map_width =
| map_caption = Interactive map showing location of Prospect Park
| status = Open all year
| publictransit = [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)#Transportation|Subway and bus; see below]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.prospectpark.org}}
| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                    = yes
| name                     =
| image                    =
| caption                  =
| nrhp_type                =
| location                 =
| area                     =
| built                    =
| architect                = [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and [[Calvert Vaux]] (landscape architects)
| added                    = September 17, 1980<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite report|type=none|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318485 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Prospect Park|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |author= Marjorie Pearson and Elizabeth Spencer-Ralph|date= April 1978| access-date=November 3, 2025 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}})</ref>
| refnum                   = 80002637<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |refnum=80002637|2006a}}</ref>
| designated_other2_name   = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date   = November 25, 1975<ref name="nycl"/>
| designated_other2_abbr   = NYCL
| designated_other2_link   = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_number = 0901<ref name="nycl"/>
| designated_other2_color  = #FFE978
}}
}}

'''Prospect Park''' is a {{convert|526|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[urban park]] in the [[Boroughs of New York City|New York City borough]] of [[Brooklyn]]. The park is situated between the neighborhoods of [[Park Slope]], [[Prospect Heights, Brooklyn|Prospect Heights]], [[Crown Heights]], [[Prospect Lefferts Gardens]], [[Flatbush]], and [[Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn|Windsor Terrace]], and is adjacent to the [[Brooklyn Museum]], [[Grand Army Plaza]], and the [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]]. With an area of {{convert|526|acre|ha|abbr=}},<ref name="parkstat">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/prospect-park|title=Prospect Park|date=June 26, 1939|publisher=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=November 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119153001/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/prospect-park|url-status=live}}</ref> Prospect Park is the second-largest public park in Brooklyn, behind [[Marine Park (Brooklyn park)|Marine Park]]. Designated as a [[New York City scenic landmark]] and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], Prospect Park is operated by the Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks.

First proposed in legislation passed in 1859, Prospect Park was laid out by landscape architects [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and [[Calvert Vaux]] for the then-independent city of Brooklyn. Prospect Park opened in 1867, though it was not substantially complete until 1873. The park subsequently underwent numerous modifications and expansions to its facilities. Several additions to the park were completed in the 1890s, in the [[City Beautiful movement|City Beautiful]] architectural movement. In the early 20th century, [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] (NYC Parks) commissioner [[Robert Moses]] started a program to clean up Prospect Park. A period of decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Prospect Park Alliance, which refurbished many parts of the park from the 1980s through the 2020s.

Main attractions of the park include the {{convert|90|acre|ha|adj=on}} Long Meadow; the Picnic House; [[Litchfield Villa]]; [[Prospect Park Zoo]]; the [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse]]; [[Concert Grove]]; Brooklyn's only lake, covering {{convert|60|acre|ha|abbr=on}}; and the Prospect Park Bandshell that hosts outdoor concerts in the summertime. The park also has sports facilities, including the Prospect Park Tennis Center, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, and the New York [[Pétanque]] Club in the Parade Ground. There is also a private [[Quakers|Society of Friends]] (Quaker) cemetery on Quaker Hill near the ball fields. In addition, Prospect Park is part of the [[Brooklyn-Queens Greenway]], a network of green spaces that stretch across western [[Long Island]].

==History==
===Before the park===
[[File:Battle-Pass-1792.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Battle Pass (Brooklyn)|Battle Pass]] area from the 1776 [[Battle of Brooklyn]] in the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), an etching circa 1792]]

Approximately 17,000 years ago, the [[terminal moraine]] of the receding [[Last glacial period#Wisconsin glaciation, in North America|Wisconsin Glacier]] that formed [[Long Island]], known as the [[Harbor Hill Moraine]], established a string of hills and [[Kettle (landform)|kettles]] in the northern part of the park and a lower lying [[outwash plain]] in the southern part.<ref name="nycsign">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=11760|title=Prospect Park: Wetlands of New York City|date=December 7, 2001|access-date=November 20, 2007|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|archive-date=March 12, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312132325/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=11760|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USGS62">{{cite web|url=https://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc62.htm|title=NYC Regional Geology: 62 Prospect Park|year=2004|access-date=November 20, 2007|publisher=United States Geological Survey|archive-date=November 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109174955/http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc62.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Mount Prospect (or Prospect Hill), near the intersection of [[Flatbush Avenue]] and [[Eastern Parkway]], is one of the tallest hills in Brooklyn, rising 200 feet (61&nbsp;m) above sea level.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8xPwBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA220|title=Great City Parks|last=Tate|first=Alan|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2015|isbn=978-1-317-61298-8|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-date=August 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802002742/https://books.google.com/books?id=8xPwBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA220|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|218}}<ref name="USGS">{{cite map|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]|title=Brooklyn (NY) Topographical Map|url=https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Maps/USTopo/PDF/NY/NY_Brooklyn_20130328_TM_geo.pdf|date=2013|access-date=January 19, 2019|archive-date=July 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727033440/https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Maps/USTopo/PDF/NY/NY_Brooklyn_20130328_TM_geo.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the highest among a string of hills that extends into the park, including Sullivan, Breeze, and Lookout hills. The area was originally forested, but became open pasture after two centuries of European colonization. Significant stands of trees remained only in the [[Bog|peat bogs]] centered south of Ninth and Flatbush Avenues, as well as in a large bog north of Ninth Street, and contained [[chestnut]], [[Populus alba|white poplar]], and [[oak]].{{refn|name=PParkGeology|The large peat bog north of Ninth Street, running east of Prospect Park West, was called the Pigeon Ground and occupied much of the area that was to become the Long Meadow.<ref>{{cite book|last=Levison|first=Wallace Goold|editor=Louis Pope Gratacap|title="The Peat Beds of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York" in ''Geology of the City of New York''|publisher=H. Holt and Company|year=1909|location=New York|pages=224–225|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Klk-AAAAIAAJ&q=Brooklyn++%22Prospect+Park%22&pg=PA223|access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041309/https://books.google.com/books?id=Klk-AAAAIAAJ&q=Brooklyn++%22Prospect+Park%22&pg=PA223#v=snippet&q=Brooklyn%20%20%22Prospect%20Park%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Some of these stands were preserved in the modern-day Prospect Park Ravine and nicknamed "The Last Forest of Brooklyn".<ref name="LastForest">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/09/nyregion/urban-backyard-to-be-revitalized.html|date=April 9, 1995|title=Urban Backyard To Be Revitalized|last=Martin|first=Douglas|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003147/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/09/nyregion/urban-backyard-to-be-revitalized.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), the park was a site of the [[Battle of Long Island]] (aka Battle of Brooklyn). American forces attempted to hold [[Battle Pass (Brooklyn)|Battle Pass]], an opening in the terminal moraine where the old Flatbush Road passed from the villages of Brooklyn to [[Flatbush]], where a large white oak tree was cut down to block the progress of the British forces.<ref>[https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/393 Dongan Oak Marker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703052809/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/393 |date=July 3, 2019 }}, [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]. Accessed January 1, 2024. "One of several small monuments in the vicinity of what is known as the "Battle Pass" in Prospect Park, the Dongan Oak Monument commemorates events which took place in this area during the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776. During this significant battle of the Revolutionary War, a large white oak mentioned in 1685 in the patent of Governor Thomas Dongan (1634–1715), was cut down by Colonial soldiers and thrown across the road to impede the advance of the British army."</ref> It fell after some of the heaviest fighting in the engagement, and its loss contributed to [[George Washington]]'s decision to retreat. Even though the [[Continental Army]] lost the battle, they were able to hold the British back long enough for Washington's army to escape across the East River to Manhattan. Plaques north of the zoo, as well as the Maryland Monument at Lookout Hill's foot, honor this event.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/timeline|title=History timeline|website=prospectpark.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231075355/http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/timeline|archive-date=December 31, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref><ref name="am New York 2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/secrets-of-new-york/secrets-of-prospect-park-1.9498571|title=Secrets of Prospect Park|date=October 19, 2014|website=am New York|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124156/https://www.amny.com/secrets-of-new-york/secrets-of-prospect-park-1.9498571|url-status=live}}</ref>

The then-independent city of Brooklyn built a reservoir on Prospect Hill in 1856 to serve the western half of the city with water pumped from the [[Ridgewood Reservoir]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Spellen|first=Suzanne|title=Past and Present: The Mt. Prospect Reservoir|website=Brownstoner|date=July 22, 2011|url=https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-mt-prospect-reservoir/|access-date=July 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101173823/https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-mt-prospect-reservoir/|archive-date=January 1, 2024|quote=In 1856, the city of Brooklyn built a huge reservoir on the top of the hill to supply water to the western part of the city. The water came from the Ridgewood Reservoir in Cypress Hills, flowing to Mt. Prospect through underground pipes. The 80' tower at the edge of the reservoir also held water, which then flowed to a pumping station on Underhill Avenue, and then on down the line to homes and businesses.|url-status=live}}</ref> The need to keep the lots around the reservoir free of development, as well as the preservation of the Battle Pass area, were cited as two reasons for establishing a large park nearby.<ref name="Lancaster">{{cite book|url=https://www.echonyc.com/~parks/books/handbook.html|title=Prospect Park Handbook|last=Lancaster|first=Clay|publisher=Long Island University Press|year=1972|isbn=978-0-913252-06-2|edition=2nd|location=New York|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=October 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001181824/https://www.echonyc.com/~parks/books/handbook.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Planning===
[[File:Frederick Law Olmsted.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Frederick Law Olmsted]], as depicted by [[John Singer Sargent]] in 1895]]
The original impetus to build Prospect Park stemmed from an April 18, 1859, act of the New York State Legislature, empowering a twelve-member commission to recommend sites for parks in the [[City of Brooklyn]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBYZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1|title=Laws Relating to the Public Parks, Parkways, and Other Property Under the Care and Control of the Brooklyn Park Commissioners|last=Anderson|first=J.A.|year=1887|page=1|access-date=January 20, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801235750/https://books.google.com/books?id=BBYZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1860">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/3137046/|title=Public Parks and Promenades|date=May 29, 1860|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=January 19, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=August 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801235739/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/3137046/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, Brooklyn was the world's first [[commuter suburb]],<ref>Margino, Megan. [https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/05/10/history-nyc-commuter "From Suburb to City and Back Again: A Brief History of the NYC Commuter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041311/https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/05/10/history-nyc-commuter |date=January 24, 2024 }}, [[New York Public Library]], May 10, 2016. Accessed January 1, 2024.</ref> and it became the third largest city in the country from 1860 to 1880, behind New York City (which then included [[Manhattan]] and parts of [[the Bronx]]) and [[Philadelphia]].<ref>Berman, Andrew. [https://gothamist.com/news/sorry-chicago-brooklyn-will-soon-be-the-third-largest-city-in-america "Sorry, Chicago: Brooklyn Will Soon Be The Third Largest City In America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101173824/https://gothamist.com/news/sorry-chicago-brooklyn-will-soon-be-the-third-largest-city-in-america |date=January 1, 2024 }}, ''[[Gothamist]]'',August 9, 2016. Accessed January 1, 2024. "Brooklyn has held the Third City spot twice before: From 1860–1880, when Philly was No. 2 and New York, which comprised Manhattan and parts of today's Bronx, was No. 1; and again (unofficially) from 1910, when it overtook Philadelphia, until 1970, when the population of Los Angeles surpassed Brooklyn's for the first time."</ref> During this time, concepts concerning public parks gained popularity. In 1858, [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and [[Calvert Vaux]] had created the design for [[Central Park]] in Manhattan, which became the first landscaped park in the United States.<ref name="timeline" /><ref name="Lancaster" /> [[James S. T. Stranahan]], then President of the Brooklyn Board of Park Commissioners, believed that a park in Brooklyn "would become a favorite resort for all classes of our community, enabling thousands to enjoy pure air, with healthful exercise, at all seasons of the year..." He also thought a public park would attract wealthy residents.<ref name="timeline" /> Stranahan originally envisioned one large park extending eastward to [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]]. However, the city's rapid development made this impossible, and today, the largest remnants of this proposed landscape are Prospect Park and the {{Convert|538|acre|ha|abbr=|adj=on}} [[Forest Park (Queens)|Forest Park]] in Queens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://qns.com/story/2018/09/08/oak-ridge-house-forest-park-rich-queens-history-neighborhood-way/|title=Oak Ridge house in Forest Park is rich in Queens history: Our Neighborhood, The Way it Was|website=QNS.com|date=September 8, 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=May 31, 2019|archive-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726085449/https://qns.com/story/2018/09/08/oak-ridge-house-forest-park-rich-queens-history-neighborhood-way/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 1860, a group of fifteen commissioners submitted suggestions for locations of four large parks and three small parks in Brooklyn, as well as a series of boulevards to connect said parks.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1860" /><ref name="Bluestone 1987">{{cite journal|last=Bluestone|first=Daniel M.|year=1987|title=From Promenade to Park: The Gregarious Origins of Brooklyn's Park Movement|journal=American Quarterly|publisher=JSTOR|volume=39|issue=4|pages=529–550|doi=10.2307/2713123|issn=0003-0678|jstor=2713123}}</ref> The largest of these proposed parks was a {{convert|320|acre|km2|adj=on}} plot centered on Mount Prospect and bounded by Warren Street to the north; Vanderbilt, Ninth, and Tenth Avenues to the west; Third and Ninth Streets to the south; and Washington Avenue to the east.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/27409545/|title=Prospect Park|date=May 19, 1861|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=January 19, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=August 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801235739/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/27409545/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Egbert Viele]] began drawing plans for "Mount Prospect Park", as the space was initially called, and published his proposal in 1861. The park was to straddle Flatbush Avenue and include Prospect Hill, as well as the land now occupied by the [[Central Library (Brooklyn Public Library)|Brooklyn Public Library]], [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]], and [[Brooklyn Museum]].<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Bluestone 1987" />

By late 1860, land had been purchased for Viele's plan.<ref name="Lancaster" /> However, the onset of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] stopped further activity, and the boulevards and smaller parks were pushed back.<ref name="Bluestone 1987" /> The delay prompted some reflection; Stranahan invited Calvert Vaux to review Viele's plans early in 1865.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="PPAHistory">{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/park-history-slideshow/|title=History and Nature: History of the Park|year=2007|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|access-date=November 23, 2007|archive-date=December 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224055718/http://prospectpark.org/learn-more/park-history-slideshow/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Vaux took issue with Flatbush Avenue's division of the park, thought that the park should have a lake, and urged for southward expansion beyond the city limits and into the then-independent town of [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]].<ref name="PPGuide">
{{cite book|title=The Complete Illustrated Guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden|last=Berenson|first=Richard J.|author2=deMause, Neil|publisher=Silver Lining Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7607-2213-8|location=New York|author-link2=Neil deMause}}
</ref>{{Rp|86–91}} Vaux's February 1865 proposal reflected the present layout of the park: three distinctive regions, meadow in the north and west, a wooded ravine in the east, and a lake in the south, without being divided by Flatbush Avenue. Vaux included an oval plaza at the northern end of the park, which would later become [[Grand Army Plaza]].<ref>[https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B040/history Grand Army Plaza] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015324/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B040/history |date=February 7, 2019 }}, [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]. Accessed January 1, 2024. "Grand Army Plaza, the oval at the main entrance of Brooklyn's Prospect Park, was meant to provide a wide and picturesque approach to the park, which park designer Calvert Vaux (1824–1895) considered a vital design element. The Plaza was one of the first features of Prospect Park to be built and marks the beginning of the Eastern Parkway (1866), the world's first parkway, also designed by Vaux and his partner Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903)."</ref><ref>[https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/grand-army-plaza-brooklyn Grand Army Plaza – Brooklyn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108031319/https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/grand-army-plaza-brooklyn |date=January 8, 2024 }}, [[The Cultural Landscape Foundation]]. Accessed January 1, 2024. "First envisioned in 1865, the plaza was conceived as the primary entrance for Olmsted and Vaux's 526-acre Prospect Park. The elliptical plaza capped the park's northern tip with a paved, pedestrian area ringed by carriageways and heavily-planted crescent-shaped berms."</ref> The revised plan called for the purchase of additional parcels to the south and west to accommodate Prospect Lake, but it excluded parcels already purchased east of Flatbush Avenue, including Prospect Hill itself. In addition, engineer-in-charge Joseph P. Davis and assistants John Bogart and John Y. Culyer were named to work on the project.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="The New York Times 1868">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1868/12/15/archives/prospect-park-progress-of-the-workdescriptive-particulars.html|title=Prospect Park; Progress of the Work—Descriptive Particulars.|date=December 15, 1868|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129064330/https://www.nytimes.com/1868/12/15/archives/prospect-park-progress-of-the-workdescriptive-particulars.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/annualreportsofb1873broo/annualreportsofb1873broo_djvu.txt|title=Annual reports of the Brooklyn Park Commissioners, 1861–1873|date=1873|publisher=Brooklyn Park Commissioners|page=127|access-date=January 28, 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[File:Friends Cemetery road PPW jeh.jpg|thumb|Friends Cemetery]]

By then, land speculation was underway. The plot bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues between Third and Fifteenth Streets was held by real estate developer Edwin Clarke Litchfield, who had erected his home, [[Litchfield Villa|Litchfield Manor]], on the east side of Ninth Avenue in 1857.<ref name="Litchfield">{{cite web|title=Litchfield Villa|work=Prospect Park Alliance: Official WebSite of Prospect Park|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|year=2008|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/history_nature/historic_places/h_villa|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029064752/http://www.prospectpark.org/history_nature/historic_places/h_villa|archive-date=October 29, 2008}}</ref> The Parks Commission ultimately acquired the Litchfield plot in 1868 for $1.7 million, forty-two percent of the overall expenditure for land, even though the plot constituted just over five percent of the park's acreage. Much of this acreage houses the maintenance yards and is rarely seen by the public.<ref name="ArchGuide">{{cite book|last=Morrone|first=Francis|title=An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn|publisher=Gibbs-Smith|location=Salt Lake City|year=2001|isbn=978-1-58685-047-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cIOZO8_HNGAC&pg=PP1|access-date=October 23, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041314/https://books.google.com/books?id=cIOZO8_HNGAC&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1866, the New York state legislature passed a bill approving the acquisition of additional land on the southwest side of the park.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Commissioners of Prospect Park 1868">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/annualreportofco18611868/annualreportofco18611868_djvu.txt|title=Annual report of the Commissioners of Prospect Park|date=1868|publisher=Commissioners of Prospect Park|page=68|access-date=January 28, 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The park was built around the preexisting Quaker cemetery,<ref name="Biederman 1998"/> which was accommodated by an agreement under which the Society of Friends deeded their unused acreage to the park. In exchange, they retained the remaining 10 acres for their private cemetery in perpetuity, as well as the rights to access the cemetery.<ref name="Lancaster" />

=== Construction ===
Despite the repercussions of Vaux's revisions, Stranahan championed the revised proposal. Vaux recruited Olmsted and formally presented the plan in February 1866.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50380116/|title=Prospect Park; The Architect's Plan For Its Improvement|date=February 5, 1866|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=January 28, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129122819/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50380116/|url-status=live}}</ref> The revised plan was accepted by May. Construction started the following month, and initial work focused on draining the land.<ref name="Lancaster" /> Then, the roads, bridle paths, and walks within Prospect Park were graded and individual features were landscaped. Three scenic roads, the West, Center, and East Drives, were built within the perimeters of the park. Depending on the time of year, between 250 and 2,000 workers were employed.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="The New York Times 1868" /><ref name="Yale University Press 2010">{{Cite enc-nyc2|page=1043}}</ref> Much of the landscaping focused on removing obstructions such as pits and swamps, and enhancing other natural features such as hills. Trees were only removed if they blocked a roadway or path that was being built.<ref name="nyc.gov 1871">{{Cite web|url=http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/4278annual_report_brooklyn_parks_comm_1870.pdf|title=1870 Brooklyn Park Commissioners Annual Report|date=January 1871|website=[[Government of New York City|nyc.gov]]|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211165858/http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/4278annual_report_brooklyn_parks_comm_1870.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Rp|38}}

The first section of the park opened to the public on October 19, 1867, while it was still under construction. The segment that was open to the public included part of the East Drive between the north end of the park, at modern-day Grand Army Plaza, and Coney Island Avenue at the southeast corner.<ref name="Eagle">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50505232/|title=Prospect Park|date=October 21, 1867|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|publisher=I. Van Anden|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002753/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50505232/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1867/10/22/archives/prospect-park.html|title=Prospect Park.|date=October 22, 1867|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129122805/https://www.nytimes.com/1867/10/22/archives/prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The park initially contained the Playground, which had a croquet lawn, a sailboat pond, a maze, and a summer house.  By 1868, the open portions of Prospect Park were patronized by 100,000 people per month,<ref name="Lancaster" /> and several miles of roads, paths, and walkways had been completed.<ref name="The New York Times 1868" /> The land for Prospect Park's Parade Ground was acquired that year.<ref name="Commissioners of Prospect Park 1868" /> A series of pedestrian arches to separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the park were also built during this time.<ref name="Lancaster" />

Over 200 benches were installed to accommodate the new visitors. Rustic wooden shelters with "various oblong and polygonal shapes" were placed along the shore of Prospect Park's lake and were designed to be used as scenic overlooks. Several bridges and eight hundred bird houses were installed to enhance the park's rustic quality.<ref name="Lancaster" /> In its 1870 annual report, the Brooklyn park commissioners reported that the lake was nearly completed, and that widening of nearby streets was underway.<ref name="nyc.gov 1871" />{{Rp|9, 11}} By 1871, the monthly visitor count had increased to 250,000.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The park's patronage continued to increase, and in an 1873 article, ''The New York Times'' described Prospect Park as having become an "indispensable Sunday resort for the toiling thousands of Brooklyn."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1873/08/11/archives/prospect-park-the-view-from-the-reservoir-boating-on-the-lake-the.html|title=Prospect Park.; the View from the Reservoir Boating on the Lake. the Central Park. the Merrick Camp-Meeting. Departure of the Highlanders. the Labor Movement.|date=August 11, 1873|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124724/https://www.nytimes.com/1873/08/11/archives/prospect-park-the-view-from-the-reservoir-boating-on-the-lake-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the high patronage also had downsides: an 1875 editorial in the ''Times'' observed that many people would take shortcuts along the grass rather than travel on designated routes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1875/06/22/archives/prospect-park.html|title=Prospect Park.|date=June 22, 1875|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213011730/https://www.nytimes.com/1875/06/22/archives/prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Prospect Park was substantially complete in 1873, but with the [[Panic of 1873|financial panic of that year]], Olmsted and Vaux stopped collaborating on the park's construction. Some of the originally envisioned facets of the park, such as an observation tower, a terraced restaurant, and a [[Spinning top|top]]-shaped Carriage Concourse, were not built.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref name="Dailey 2013" /> Olmsted and Vaux had also planned for a system of parkways to connect to Prospect Park, though only two were built: [[Ocean Parkway (Brooklyn)|Ocean Parkway]], running to [[Coney Island]] in the south, and [[Eastern Parkway]], running to [[Crown Heights|Crown Heights, Brooklyn]] in the east.<ref name="Yale University Press 2010" /> Overall, the city of Brooklyn spent more than $4 million to acquire the parkland, while the actual cost of construction amounted to more than $5 million.<ref name="Lancaster" />

Stranahan was regarded by his 19th-century peers as the true "Father of Prospect Park", a reputation established through his 22-year reign as Park Commission president (1860–1882), engagement of Olmsted and Vaux, overseeing complex land acquisitions,<ref name="EagleEditorial">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50425489/|title=The Park "Magician": Is He Cornered At Last?|date=June 7, 1882|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=November 20, 2007|publisher=Brooklyn Eagle Inc.|at=p. 2, cols. 1–2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050320/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50425489/|url-status=live}}</ref> securing funding to build the park, and after the park's completion, defending the park against changes that were not compatible with the overall design.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mr. Stranahan Dead|date=September 3, 1898|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|at=[https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50338959/ p. 1, col 1]; [https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50338960/ p. 2, cols 4–6] {{open access}}}}</ref> A [[statue of James S. T. Stranahan]] was proposed in 1890.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/60726980/|title=For A Statue; In Honor of James S. T. Stranahan|date=January 15, 1890|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=May 27, 2007|at=p. 6, col. 3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050411/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/60726980/|url-status=live}}</ref> Located inside the Grand Army Plaza entrance, the statue was sculpted by [[Frederick William MacMonnies|Frederick MacMonnies]] and presented to Stranahan in June 1891.<ref name="BrooklynEagleStranahan">{{cite news|title=The Father of the Park|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|at=p. 20, col. 3|publisher=Brooklyn Eagle Inc.|date=June 7, 1891|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50448986/|access-date=November 20, 2007|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002737/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50448986/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Late 19th century ===
[[File:Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 1880. (5832926707).jpg|thumb|Prospect Park in 1880]]Prospect Park became widely used after its opening, and many sports were hosted there. By the late 19th century, [[archery]] was among the most popular sports being practiced on the Long Meadow,<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> and up to 100 groups would convene on the Long Meadow to play [[croquet]] on weekend afternoons.<ref name="The New York Times 2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/nyregion/a-brief-history-of-croquet-in-brooklyn.html|url-access=subscription|first1=Emily S.|last1=Rueb|title=A Flashback to Croquet's Heyday in Prospect Park|date=July 8, 2014|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035428/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/nyregion/a-brief-history-of-croquet-in-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During winters, people practiced "ice baseball" on the lake.<ref name="Dailey 2013">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2013/8/7/10210902/25-little-known-facts-about-olmsted-vauxs-masterpiece|title=25 Little-Known Facts About Olmsted & Vaux's Masterpiece|last=Dailey|first=Jessica|date=August 7, 2013|website=Curbed NY|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129010331/https://ny.curbed.com/2013/8/7/10210902/25-little-known-facts-about-olmsted-vauxs-masterpiece|url-status=live}}</ref> Ice skating was also a common sport, and was frequently practiced on the lake during the winter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/01/25/archives/skating-at-prospect-park-women-who-can-do-tricks-on-skates-like-the.html|url-access=subscription|title=Skating at Prospect Park.; Women Who Can Do Tricks on Skates Like the Men.|date=January 25, 1893|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215051002/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/01/25/archives/skating-at-prospect-park-women-who-can-do-tricks-on-skates-like-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Because picnicking was banned in Central Park, and generally disapproved-of in many other parks in Manhattan, Prospect Park became a popular picnic spot.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50333245/|title=Prospect Park Picnics|date=August 15, 1886|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=January 28, 2019|page=11|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129064017/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50333245/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, this also resulted in litter, and by 1881, ''The New York Times'' was receiving complaints about a lack of cleanliness in the park.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1881/06/03/archives/facts-about-prospect-park-the-great-pleasure-ground-not-quite-gone.html|title=Facts About Prospect Park.; the Great Pleasure Ground Not Quite Gone to Decay.|date=June 3, 1881|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050855/https://www.nytimes.com/1881/06/03/archives/facts-about-prospect-park-the-great-pleasure-ground-not-quite-gone.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

No new structures were constructed in Prospect Park until 1882, when a utilitarian brick stable was constructed on the park's western side.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The same year, Brooklyn mayor [[Seth Low]] did not reappoint Stranahan or the other commissioners, a change that neither Stranahan nor the other commissioners actively opposed. Stranahan, for his part, was becoming more engaged in other Brooklyn concerns.<ref name="Low">{{cite news|title=Municipal: Interesting Happenings at City Hall Today|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|at=p. 4, col. 3|publisher=Brooklyn Eagle Inc.|date=June 7, 1882|url=http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Layout/Includes/BE/ArtWin.asp?From=Search&Key=BEG%2F1882%2F06%2F15%2F4%2FAr00400%2Exml&CollName=BEG%5FCOL2&DOCID=2050299&Keyword=%28%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3EStranahan%29&skin=BE&AppName=2&ViewMode=GIF <!--https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50425491/-->|access-date=November 23, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103060805/http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Layout/Includes/BE/ArtWin.asp?From=Search&Key=BEG%2F1882%2F06%2F15%2F4%2FAr00400%2Exml&CollName=BEG%5FCOL2&DOCID=2050299&Keyword=%28%3Cmany%3E%3Cstem%3EStranahan%29&skin=BE&AppName=2&ViewMode=GIF|archive-date=January 3, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> The action, however, did signal a change in the style of park management, which grew to embrace neoclassicism.<ref name="PPAHistory" />

Simultaneously during the 1880s, the quality of Prospect Park had declined through overuse and a corresponding lack of maintenance.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> After Brooklyn Mayor [[Alfred C. Chapin]] walked through the park in 1888, he requested that $100,000 be allocated for improvements.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/04/20/archives/prospect-parks-decay-mayor-chapin-wants-100000-appropriated-at-once.html|title=Prospect Park's Decay.; Mayor Chapin Wants $100,000 Appropriated at Once.|date=April 20, 1888|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215051011/https://www.nytimes.com/1888/04/20/archives/prospect-parks-decay-mayor-chapin-wants-100000-appropriated-at-once.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, the Brooklyn Parks Commission embarked on a $200,000 program to restore the park. It repaved many of the walkways and drives, as well as replanted flora.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/3962annual_report_brooklyn_dept_parks_1889.pdf|title=1889 Brooklyn Borough Parks Department Annual Report|date=January 7, 1890|publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=May 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529112838/http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/3962annual_report_brooklyn_dept_parks_1889.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Rp|9–12}} Ornate gateways were added to the Ocean Parkway and Willink Plaza entrances.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1888-10-17|title=Park Improvements|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-park-improvements/151128734/|access-date=2024-07-11|work=The Brooklyn Citizen|pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1888-12-12|title=Contractors Indignant|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-contractors-indignant/151128685/|access-date=2024-07-11|work=Times Union|pages=1}}</ref> The commission also proposed purchasing the land around the Mount Prospect Reservoir, northeast of modern-day Prospect Park, which had been excluded from the final plan for the park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/3960annual_report_brooklyn_dept_parks_1888.pdf|title=1888 Brooklyn Borough Parks Department Annual Report|date=March 11, 1889|publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203140155/http://home2.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/3960annual_report_brooklyn_dept_parks_1888.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Rp|54–64}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50455430/|title=For Public Use: Proposing to Retain the East Side Lands|date=April 3, 1889|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=3|via=Newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050529/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50455430/|url-status=live}}</ref> Instead, this space was developed as the [[Brooklyn Museum]] in the 1890s, followed by the [[Central Library (Brooklyn Public Library)|Brooklyn Central Library]] and [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]] in the early 20th century.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The reservoir was filled in, and along with Mount Prospect Hill, became the separate [[Mount Prospect Park]] in 1940.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" />

The park and its surroundings were subsequently restored in the 1890s during the [[City Beautiful movement]].<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> After the Soldier's and Sailor's Arch at Grand Army Plaza was built in 1892, the park commissioners engaged the [[McKim, Mead, and White]] architectural firm to redesign Grand Army Plaza in a complementary, neoclassical way. By 1896, Grand Army Plaza sported [[:File:Prospect Park Entrance From Memorial Arch.jpg|four towering granite columns]] adorned with carved [[wikt:fasces|fasces]] and eagles at the base, though the bronze eagles atop the columns would not be installed until 1902. Granite fencing with decorative bronze urns replaced simple wooden fencing, and polygonal granite pavilions on the east and west corners of the park supplanted earlier rustic shelters. All the major entrances of the park gained similar neoclassical treatments. By the turn of the twentieth century, sculptures by [[Frederick MacMonnies]] graced the Arch and works by MacMonnies and [[Alexander Phimister Proctor|Alexander Proctor]] adorned many of the entrances.<ref name="PPAHistory" />

Neoclassical structures appeared elsewhere within the park. McKim, Mead and White designed the Ocean Parkway and Willink entrances, which opened in 1890.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1890-08-03|title=New Park Entrances|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-new-prospect-pa/14753745/|access-date=2024-07-11|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|pages=3}}</ref> The same firm transformed the Children's Playground and Pools in the park's northeast quadrant into the Rose Garden and the Vale of Cashmere, each a formally arranged space, in 1893–1894.<ref name="Lancaster" />  [[Stanford White]]'s Maryland Monument was installed near the Terrace Bridge in 1895 in recognition of the [[Maryland 400]], who fought in the Battle of Long Island on the slopes of Lookout Hill.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}}<ref name="PPAArch">{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/architects|title=Olmsted and Vaux|year=2008|access-date=March 21, 2009|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322230433/http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/architects|archive-date=March 22, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><gallery heights="150" widths="150" class="center">
File:Prospect-Park-Riders-01.jpg|Horse riders on the Bridle Path in Prospect Park, 1912, Charles D. Lay
File:1996.164.10-32 glass IMLS SL2.jpg|Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Park, c. 1903–1910. Eugene Wemlinger
File:1996.164.2-721 glass IMLS SL2.jpg|Snow Scene, Prospect Park, c. 1872–1887. George Bradford Brainerd
File:1996.164.2-726 glass IMLS SL2.jpg|Rose Arbor in Winter, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, c. 1872–1887. George Bradford Brainerd
File:1996.164.10-31a glass IMLS SL2.jpg|Water Tower, Prospect Park, c. 1903–1910. Eugene Wemlinger
</gallery>

=== Early 20th century ===
[[File:ProspectPark 1901Plan.jpg|thumb|left|1901 map of Prospect Park, published in the Parks Department's 1902 Annual Report]]

The city of Brooklyn merged with Manhattan and other outlying boroughs in 1898, creating the City of Greater New York. By the end of the century, Prospect Park saw about 15 million visitors per year.<ref name="Yale University Press 2010" /> Though people were officially banned from hosting picnics and other large eating events in Prospect Park, the rule was not enforced for several years until 1903, when a surge of visitors from Manhattan led to an increase in luncheons being hosted.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/07/21/archives/no-eating-in-prospect-park-manhattan-visitors-too-careless-with.html|title=No Eating in Prospect Park; Manhattan Visitors Too Careless with Refuse Led to Blue Laws.|date=July 21, 1903|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215051011/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/07/21/archives/no-eating-in-prospect-park-manhattan-visitors-too-careless-with.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1907, lights were installed to deter couples from kissing or other intimate activity within the park.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/1736457/|title=Kennedy and Cozier Conspire Against Cupid|date=July 12, 1907|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041208/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/1736457/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, the city embarked on an improvement program at Prospect Park by cleaning out the landscape, constructing the [[Bartel-Pritchard Square]] entrance, and removing an old boathouse that had been supplanted by the Boathouse on the Lullwater.<ref>{{Cite news|title=PRIMING UP CITY'S PARKS: Many Changes Are Now Under Way in Prospect Park|date=April 26, 1908|work=New-York Tribune|page=C8|id={{ProQuest|572080805}}}}</ref>

The construction of structures continued in the first decade of the 20th century. The neoclassical [[Grecian Shelter|Peristyle]] (1904), [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse]] (1905), Tennis House (1910), and [[Willink Plaza|Willink Comfort Station]] (1912) were all designed by Helmle, Hudswell and Huberty, alumni and proteges of McKim, Mead, and White.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}}<ref name="PPAArch" /> The entrances into Prospect Park that were constructed during this time were also in the neoclassical style.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}}<ref name="Lancaster" /> Two now-demolished structures were also constructed on the peninsula, the Model Yacht Club House (1900–1956) and a shelter (1915 – {{Circa|1940s}}).<ref name="Lancaster" /> Olmsted was said to have been "distressed" by these modifications to the park's original plan.<ref name="Yale University Press 2010" />

From [[World War I]] to the mayoral administration of [[Fiorello La Guardia]] in the 1930s, investment in park infrastructure declined. A two-story brick building was opened in the Menagerie in 1916, housing monkeys, some small mammals, and several birds.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1916/04/30/archives/open-prospect-park-zoo-new-menagerie-building-dedicated-by.html|title=Open Prospect Park Zoo; New Menagerie Building Dedicated by Commissioner Ingersoll.|date=April 30, 1916|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215102809/https://www.nytimes.com/1916/04/30/archives/open-prospect-park-zoo-new-menagerie-building-dedicated-by.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the end of World War I, a memorial commemorating fallen soldiers was proposed;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/02/20/archives/plan-soldiers-memorial-brooklyn-monument-in-prospect-park-to-bear.html|title=Plan Soldiers' Memorial; Brooklyn Monument in Prospect Park to Bear About 2,000 Names.|date=February 20, 1919|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215102817/https://www.nytimes.com/1919/02/20/archives/plan-soldiers-memorial-brooklyn-monument-in-prospect-park-to-bear.html|url-status=live}}</ref> it was dedicated in 1921.<ref name="Prospect Park Monuments 1939" /> The only other structures to be built during this period were the Picnic House (1927) and a small comfort station at the Ocean Avenue entrance (1930), both designed by J. Sarsfield Kennedy.<ref name="Lancaster" /> A golf course was proposed for the Long Meadow in the 1920s, but eventually, it was built on the Peninsula, abutting the Lake at the park's southern end.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> In 1932, a faux [[Mount Vernon]] was built in Prospect Park to commemorate the [[wikt:bicentennial|bicentennial]] of [[George Washington]]'s birthday.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/robert-sullivan-my-american-revolution-2012-9/|title=Permanent Revolution|magazine=New York magazine|date=September 10, 2012|access-date=April 7, 2014|archive-date=April 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213414/http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/robert-sullivan-my-american-revolution-2012-9/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Prospect Park was in stasis for the most part, and like many of the city's parks, it was run year-after-year with declining budgets. ''The New York Times'' observed that by the 1930s, "generations of Parks Department officials had lived well and got rich by diverting maintenance funds, and the park showed the result of a half century of abuse and neglect."<ref name="NYTOlmstedMoses">{{cite news|title=Olmsted and Moses Were the Key Figures in Development of City Parks|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=October 13, 1980|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/13/archives/olmsted-and-moses-were-the-key-figures-in-development-of-city-parks.html|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003142/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/13/archives/olmsted-and-moses-were-the-key-figures-in-development-of-city-parks.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Robert Moses era===
In January 1934, newly elected Mayor Fiorello La Guardia appointed [[Robert Moses]] as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks (NYC Parks), a new organization that eliminated borough park commissioners.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/19/archives/smith-hails-moses-as-city-parks-head-tells-of-his-service-to-state.html|title=Smith Hails Moses As City Parks Head; Tells of His Service to State and City at Luncheon Given by Long Island Leaders|date=January 19, 1934|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217084910/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/19/archives/smith-hails-moses-as-city-parks-head-tells-of-his-service-to-state.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Moses would remain commissioner for the next twenty-six years, leaving significant impacts on the city's parks. Moses used federal monies made available to relieve [[Great Depression|Depression]]-era unemployment, and this resulted in a boom in construction at Prospect Park.<ref name="PPAHistory" /><ref name="ZooOpening" />  The [[Prospect Park Zoo]] opened in 1935 on the east side of the park, replacing the former Menagerie.<ref name="ZooOpening">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/04/archives/smith-decries-backalley-politics-of-la-guardia-in-row-with-moses-at.html|title=Smith Decries 'Back-Alley Politics' Of La Guardia in Row With Moses; At Opening of New Prospect Park Zoo Former Governor Extols Park Commissioner, Who Joins Mayor in Shunning Ceremony – 3,000 View Glittering $500,000 Centre.|date=July 4, 1935|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=June 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618125653/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/04/archives/smith-decries-backalley-politics-of-la-guardia-in-row-with-moses-at.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Bandshell and five playgrounds were also constructed toward the end of the 1930s.<ref name="PPAHistory" /><ref name="ZooOpening"/> In addition, the Carousel was opened in 1949 as a gift from the foundation of the late philanthropist [[Michael Friedsam]].<ref name="Hanmer 1952">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/757932/|title=Big, Small Fry Vie for Brass Ring|last=Hanmer|first=Wendell|date=October 22, 1952|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041209/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/757932/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1952">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/22/archives/carrousel-is-dedicated-prospect-park-merrygoround-gets-official.html|title=Carrousel is Dedicated; Prospect Park Merry-Go-Round Gets Official City Send-Off|date=October 22, 1952|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030435/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/22/archives/carrousel-is-dedicated-prospect-park-merrygoround-gets-official.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Moses also enacted new policies at the park, including a ban on sheep grazing at the Long Meadow.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|16}}<ref name="Jacobs 2017" />

During [[World War II]], Prospect Park hosted a portion of the city's antiaircraft defense. Three hundred soldiers manned batteries, underground ammunition dumps, observation towers, repair shops and barracks around Swan Lake in the Long Meadow. Though the defenses were disbanded in 1944, traces of slit trenches and sandbagged gun emplacements could still be found several years afterward.<ref>{{cite book|last=Willensky|first=E.|title=When Brooklyn was the World, 1920–1957|publisher=Harmony Books|year=1986|isbn=978-0-517-55858-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7JIMAAAAYAAJ|access-date=February 20, 2019|page=210|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041206/https://books.google.com/books?id=7JIMAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1959, the southern third of the Long Meadow was graded and fenced off for ballfields.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Illson 1959">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/17/archives/pruning-and-cleaning-begun-in-prospect-park-city-says-program-will.html|title=Pruning and Cleaning Begun in Prospect Park; City Says Program Will Make Area Prettier and Safer Department Splits Job Into 5 Sections in 5-Year Effort|last=Illson|first=Murray|date=October 17, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124815/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/17/archives/pruning-and-cleaning-begun-in-prospect-park-city-says-program-will.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Prospect Park boathouse (61446p).jpg|thumb|The Boathouse on the Lullwater, almost demolished in 1964|alt=]]

Plans for the Kate Wollman Memorial Rink were approved in 1960,<ref name="The New York Times 1960" /> and the rink opened in December 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/12/23/archives/new-wollman-rink-is-dedicated-in-brooklyn.html|title=New Wollman Rink Is Dedicated in Brooklyn|date=December 23, 1961|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=October 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022031526/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/12/23/archives/new-wollman-rink-is-dedicated-in-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  The rink was built on a filled-in portion of Prospect Lake, necessitating the removal of Music Island and the panoramic view of the lake created by Olmsted and Vaux.<ref name="The New York Times 1960">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/10/07/archives/prospect-park-rink-approved-wollman-fund-gives-300000.html|title=Prospect Park Rink Approved; Wollman Fund Gives $300,000|date=October 7, 1960|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209130318/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/10/07/archives/prospect-park-rink-approved-wollman-fund-gives-300000.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To make the park more visually appealing, NYC Parks also began to clear the area of weeds and invasive species, though this had the unintended effect of hastening erosion.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Illson 1959" /><ref name="Martin 1998">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/14/nyregion/prospect-park-s-ravine-inching-closer-to-past.html|title=Prospect Park's Ravine Inching Closer to Past|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=September 14, 1998|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035237/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/14/nyregion/prospect-park-s-ravine-inching-closer-to-past.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was not unusual in the Moses years, and especially the decade after his departure, to quietly remove underutilized or redundant structures. To do so was regarded as economical and prudent management. Several structures had been destroyed by the time Moses left his position as NYC Parks commissioner in May 1960. These included the Dairy, destroyed 1935;<ref name="Lancaster" /> Concert Grove House, demolished 1949;<ref name="ConcertGroveHouse">{{cite web|year=2008|title=Concert Grove History|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_concert_grove|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323073036/http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_concert_grove|archive-date=March 23, 2009|access-date=March 21, 2009|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance}}</ref> Music Island, razed 1960;<ref name="Dunlap 2012" /><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 2012" /> the Flower Garden;<ref name="am New York 2014" /> the Thatched Shelter, destroyed in the 1940s;<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2005" /> the Model Yacht Club, burned down in 1956;<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2005" /> and the Greenhouse Conservatories, taken apart in 1955.<ref name="Green" />

=== Late 20th century ===

==== 1960s and 1970s ====
The demolition of [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Pennsylvania Station]] in Manhattan during 1963–1968 spawned a nascent [[historic preservation]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Laying the Preservation Framework: 1960–1980|website=Cultural Landscapes (U.S. National Park Service)|date=April 24, 1962|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/culturallandscapes/cltimeline4.htm|access-date=September 6, 2018|archive-date=September 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906202407/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/culturallandscapes/cltimeline4.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 1964, the Parks Department was within forty-eight hours of demolishing the [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse on the Lullwater]].<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Boathouse">{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_boathouse|title=Audubon Center – History|year=2008|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321061145/http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_boathouse|archive-date=March 21, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=March 21, 2009}}</ref> At the time the structure was underutilized; the boat concession only operated on weekends and its peak traffic was fewer than ten people per hour.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/19/archives/future-is-unsure-for-prospect-parks-old-boathouse-a-gaslight-relic.html|title=A Gaslight Relic Awaits Verdict; Prospect Park Boathouse May Face Demolition|last=Tolchin|first=Martin|date=September 14, 1964|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003141/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/19/archives/future-is-unsure-for-prospect-parks-old-boathouse-a-gaslight-relic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the Boathouse shared many architectural design features with the famous station.  A preservation group, The Friends of Prospect Park, including in its membership, poet and longtime Brooklyn resident [[Marianne Moore]],<ref name="MMoore">{{cite book|last=Graff|first=M. M.|author2=George Kalmbacher|title=''Tree Trails of Prospect Park''|publisher=Greensward Foundation|year=1982|location=New York}}</ref> built public awareness over disappearing historical structures and threatened flora within the park. Public pressure induced Park Commissioner [[Newbold Morris]] to rescind the decision to demolish the Boathouse in December 1964.<ref name="NYTimesSave">{{cite news|last=Tolchin|first=Martin|title=Boathouse Saved At Prospect Park; Morris 'Succumbs to Public Opinion' on Landmark|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=December 11, 1964|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/19/archives/future-is-unsure-for-prospect-parks-old-boathouse-a-gaslight-relic.html|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003141/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/19/archives/future-is-unsure-for-prospect-parks-old-boathouse-a-gaslight-relic.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Projects to restore Prospect Park were taken up by the late 1960s. In 1965, the city allocated $450,000 to renovate the Vale of Cashmere and the Rose Garden ahead of Brooklyn's 300th anniversary, and the park's 100th anniversary, the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/08/08/archives/city-will-spruce-up-brooklyns-prospect-park-in-a-450000-project.html|title=City Will Spruce Up Brooklyn's Prospect Park in a $450,000 Project|date=August 8, 1965|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217032014/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/08/08/archives/city-will-spruce-up-brooklyns-prospect-park-in-a-450000-project.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Another $225,000 was allocated to renovate the boathouse, and $249,000 was allotted to overall renovations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/01/archives/restoration-due-in-prospect-park-planners-vote-924000-citizens.html|title=Restoration Due In Prospect Park; Planners Vote $924,000 -Citizens' Group Hailed|last=Tolchin|first=Martin|date=December 1, 1964|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217084926/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/01/archives/restoration-due-in-prospect-park-planners-vote-924000-citizens.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The city renovated part of the Long Meadow on the northwest side of the park, as well as the children's farm. However, some of the contracts were delayed, including renovations to the Boathouse and the tennis courts, as well as a reconstruction of the Music Pagoda, which had burned down in 1968.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28132742/|title=Rap City for Lagging on Repairs to Prospect Park|date=April 5, 1970|work=New York Daily News|access-date=February 7, 2019|page=109|via=Newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041208/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-rap-city-for-lagging-on-repai/28132742/|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1971, the city had spent $4 million to renovate Prospect Park, including renovating the Boathouse and dredging the lake. The Rose Garden and the Vale of Cashmere had also been re-landscaped.<ref name="Knight 1971">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/28/archives/prospect-parks-future-is-pondered-a-place-to-play-or-a-place-to.html|title=Prospect Park's Future Is Pondered: A Place to Play or a Place to Find Tranquillity?|last=Knight|first=Michael|date=February 28, 1971|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065457/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/28/archives/prospect-parks-future-is-pondered-a-place-to-play-or-a-place-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also part of the renovation was a restoration of the Prospect Park Carousel from 1971 to 1974,<ref name="Cadkin 1974">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/13/archives/park-carousel-reopening.html|title=Park Carousel Reopening|last=Cadkin|first=Janice C.|date=October 13, 1974|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215220048/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/13/archives/park-carousel-reopening.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the exterior of the Boathouse was restored in 1979.<ref name="Gray 1996">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/realestate/streetscapes-prospect-park-boathouse-after-1971-restoration-fails-it-s-time-re.html|title=Streetscapes/Prospect Park Boathouse;After a 1971 Restoration Fails, It's Time to Re-Restore|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=June 30, 1996|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124502/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/realestate/streetscapes-prospect-park-boathouse-after-1971-restoration-fails-it-s-time-re.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the 1970s, Prospect Park was beset by crime; a 1974 report found that 44 percent of city residents would warn people to stay away from the park under any circumstances.<ref name="Dailey 2013" />  Much of Prospect Park suffered soil erosion and lack of maintenance caused the landscape to deteriorate. By 1979, park attendance dropped to two million, the lowest recorded level in the history of the park.<ref name="PPAHistory" />

==== 1980s and 1990s ====
The mayoral administration of [[Ed Koch]] formed plans in 1980 to turn over the administration of the troubled [[Prospect Park Zoo]] to the [[Wildlife Conservation Society]].<ref name="NYZooTakeOver">{{cite news|title=City's 3 Zoos to Be Taken Over By New York Zoological Society|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=April 23, 1980|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/23/archives/citys-3-zoos-to-be-taken-over-by-new-york-zoological-society-citys.html|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422194221/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/23/archives/citys-3-zoos-to-be-taken-over-by-new-york-zoological-society-citys.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the next seven years, the city invested $17 million in cleaning up the park,<ref name="NYTimes-PPA-Creation-1987" /> including $10 million in federal funds from a [[Community Development Block Grant]].<ref name="Laskow 2014">{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2016/05/what-donors-do-for-some-city-parks-047653|title=What donors do for (some) city parks|last=Laskow|first=Sarah|date=June 30, 2014|newspaper=Politico PRO|access-date=January 10, 2017|archive-date=February 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215032200/http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2016/05/what-donors-do-for-some-city-parks-047653|url-status=live}}</ref> Annual visitor numbers had nearly tripled to 5 million between 1980 and 1987.<ref name="NYTimes-PPA-Creation-1987" /> During this period, Prospect Park also received two historic designations: it was made a [[New York City scenic landmark]] on November 25, 1975,<ref name="nycl" /> and was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on September 17, 1980.<ref name="nris" />

The Prospect Park Alliance, a non-profit organization, was created in April 1987 based on the model of the [[Central Park Conservancy]], which had helped restore Central Park in the 1980s. Shortly afterward, NYC Parks began entering into restoration projects with the organization.<ref name="NYTimes-PPA-Creation-1987">{{cite web|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|title=Nonprofit Group To Nourish Once-Shabby Prospect Park|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=April 6, 1987|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/06/nyregion/nonprofit-group-to-nourish-once-shabby-prospect-park.html|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-date=February 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210152600/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/06/nyregion/nonprofit-group-to-nourish-once-shabby-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Alliance's first major project was the $550,000 restoration of the Carousel in 1987–1989. The carousel had not operated since 1983, and its original horse-shaped seats were removed during the restoration.<ref name="Martin 1989">{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Douglas|title=About New York; Restoring Some Magic To Brooklyn|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=October 7, 1989|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/07/nyregion/about-new-york-restoring-some-magic-to-brooklyn.html|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-date=February 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210152659/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/07/nyregion/about-new-york-restoring-some-magic-to-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nine years later, in 1996, it started a $4.5 million restoration of the Ravine.<ref name="LastForest" /><ref name="Dailey 2013" /> The Boathouse was also restored again in the late 1990s due to deterioration of the exterior terracotta.<ref name="Gray 1996" /> The [[National Audubon Society]] signed a lease for the Boathouse in 2000,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/30/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-bird-lovers-will-find-home-beaux-arts.html|title=Neighborhood Report: Prospect Park; Bird Lovers Will Find a Home in a Beaux-Arts Boathouse|last=Bahrampour|first=Tara|date=April 30, 2000|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215220026/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/30/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-bird-lovers-will-find-home-beaux-arts.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the building became the site of the nation's first urban Audubon society.<ref name="auduboncenter">{{cite web|url=http://ny.audubon.org/CentersEdu_ProspectPark.html|title=Audubon New York|year=2008|publisher=National Audubon Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116062220/http://ny.audubon.org/CentersEdu_ProspectPark.html|archive-date=January 16, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=November 29, 2008}}</ref> The restoration of the Harmony Playground and Bandshell was completed the same year.<ref name="Harmony Playground : NYC Parks 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/11884|title=Prospect Park Highlights|date=June 26, 1939|website=Harmony Playground : NYC Parks|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035435/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/11884|url-status=live}}</ref> However, other parts of Prospect Park remained neglected, such as the eastern side of the park, where the surrounding community was generally poorer than the western side.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brick|first=Michael|title=A Park Pretty for the Rich Yet Run-Down for the Poor; Prospect Park Overseers Direct Money To Make East Side More Like the West|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=May 27, 2004|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/nyregion/park-pretty-for-rich-yet-run-down-for-poor-prospect-park-overseers-direct-money.html|access-date=March 28, 2019|archive-date=March 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328034043/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/nyregion/park-pretty-for-rich-yet-run-down-for-poor-prospect-park-overseers-direct-money.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Early 21st century ===

==== 2000s and 2010s ====
[[File:Prospect Park Brooklyn Feb 2019 57.jpg|thumb|A promenade facing the lake, built in the first decade of the 21st century]]

By 2000, the Wollman Rink was deteriorating, and there was a need to replace it.<ref name="Bahrampour 2000">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-brooklyn-s-prized-wollman-rink-feeling-its-age.html|title=Neighborhood Report: Prospect Park; Brooklyn's Prized Wollman Rink Is Feeling Its Age|last=Bahrampour|first=Tara|date=December 3, 2000|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201014943/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/03/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-brooklyn-s-prized-wollman-rink-feeling-its-age.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Alliance soon formed plans to restore Music Island and the original shoreline, both obliterated by the construction of the original rink in 1960.<ref name="PPAAnnual2006">{{cite book|title=''Prospect Park Alliance Annual Report 2006''|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|year=2006|page=9|location=New York|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/general/annual_reports/AR2006.pdf|format=PDF (Portable Document Format)|access-date=March 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228210632/http://www.prospectpark.org/general/annual_reports/AR2006.pdf|archive-date=February 28, 2008}}
</ref><ref name="Curr">{{cite web|year=2008|title=Wollman Rink|access-date=March 21, 2009|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_wollman_rink|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220130535/http://www.prospectpark.org/visit/history/historic_places/h_wollman_rink|archive-date=February 20, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Several Moses-era playgrounds and the Bandshell were retained because their venues were popular. Original rustic summer houses were restored or recreated on the shores of Prospect Park Lake, along the Lullwater and in the Ravine.<ref name="Lakeside" /> As part of the restoration plans, the Wollman Rink was to be replaced by two rinks in the new LeFrak Center, a year-round recreational facility.<ref name="Lakeside">{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/about/lakeside|title=The Lakeside Center at Prospect Park|date=August 2008|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|access-date=August 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905203958/http://www.prospectpark.org/about/lakeside|archive-date=September 5, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Work on the LeFrak Center began in 2009, and the Wollman Rink had been demolished by 2011.<ref name="Pollak 2011">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/nyregion/monitoring-progress-of-wollman-rink-in-prospect-park.html|title=Monitoring Progress of Wollman Rink in Prospect Park|last=Pollak|first=Michael|date=August 7, 2011|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309171413/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/nyregion/monitoring-progress-of-wollman-rink-in-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside was completed in December 2013 at a cost of $74 million.<ref name="NYC.gov-Lakeside-2013">{{cite web|url=http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/406-13/mayor-bloomberg-parks-commissioner-white-the-prospect-park-alliance-open-new-lefrak-center-ice|title=Opening of new LeFrak Center ice rink|date=December 17, 2013|website=The official website of the City of New York|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130000135/https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/406-13/mayor-bloomberg-parks-commissioner-white-the-prospect-park-alliance-open-new-lefrak-center-ice|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Lakeside-2013">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/arts/design/lakeside-a-skating-complex-in-prospect-park.html|title=Restoring Brooklyn's Pastoral Heart|last=Kimmelman|first=Michael|date=October 20, 2013|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129064324/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/arts/design/lakeside-a-skating-complex-in-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the Wollman Rink's replacement, plans for the restored Music Island were announced in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/where-rink-now-stands-an-isle-is-planned/|title=Where Rink Now Stands, an Isle Is Planned|last=Newman|first=Andy|date=December 10, 2009|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013317/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/where-rink-now-stands-an-isle-is-planned/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Chaim Baier Music Island, and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Esplanade overlooking the island, were restored using a $10 million grant, and were officially rededicated in October 2012.<ref name="Dunlap 2012">{{cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/an-island-of-tranquillity-is-reclaimed-in-prospect-park/|title=An Island of Tranquillity Is Reclaimed in Prospect Park|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=October 3, 2012|website=City Room|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=October 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002042213/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/an-island-of-tranquillity-is-reclaimed-in-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=22776|title=The Daily Plant : NYC Parks|date=October 23, 2012|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013551/https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=22776|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Prospect Park Alliance subsequently completed or proposed more restoration projects for the park.<ref name="The New York Times 2015" /> Long Meadow ball field 1 was rebuilt between 2013 and 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/4884|title=Prospect Park Long Meadow Ballfield 1 Reconstruction : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035427/https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/4884|url-status=dead}}</ref> The following year, the Alliance announced some projects on Prospect Park's eastern side, including the $200,000 restoration of Battle Pass. The Alliance also intended to restore the water-damaged Oriental Pavilion for $2 million and replace fencing on Flatbush Avenue for $2.4 million.<ref name="The New York Times 2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/nyregion/group-plans-to-renovate-long-neglected-areas-of-prospect-park.html|title=Group Plans to Renovate Long-Neglected Areas of Prospect Park|date=August 5, 2015|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201015109/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/nyregion/group-plans-to-renovate-long-neglected-areas-of-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, the Alliance also received $3.2 million from NYC Parks' Parks Without Borders program to construct two new entrances on Flatbush Avenue, the park's first new entrances in over 70 years,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bklyner.com/prospect-park-build-two-new-flatbush-avenue-entrances-bp-urges-traffic-calming-parkslopestoop/|title=Prospect Park To Build Two New Flatbush Avenue Entrances; BP Urges Traffic Calming|date=May 26, 2016|website=BKLYNER|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213010002/https://bklyner.com/prospect-park-build-two-new-flatbush-avenue-entrances-bp-urges-traffic-calming-parkslopestoop/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="am New York 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/news/prospect-park-flatbush-avenue-restoration-1.18268163|title=2 new entrances coming to Prospect Park|date=April 26, 2018|website=am New York|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213005623/https://www.amny.com/news/prospect-park-flatbush-avenue-restoration-1.18268163|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as rebuild the Willink entrance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8647|title=Prospect Park New Flatbush Avenue Entrances Construction and Willink Entrance Reconstruction : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213005515/https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8647|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the city's 2016 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2016, politicians also contributed funds toward various restoration projects in the park. These included $2.5 million for renovating Lefferts Historic House, $2 million to rebuild pathways, $1.75 million for replacing fencing on Ocean Avenue, $750,000 for renovating the ballfields on Long Meadow, and $500,000 for the Carousel's restoration. In addition, $100,000 was earmarked for the installation of an experimental running surface on Park Drive, and through a [[participatory budgeting]] program, residents of the surrounding communities allocated funds for other projects such as new drinking fountains, a dog run, community barbecue sites, and an aquatic weed harvester.<ref>{{cite web|title=City Budget Invests in Prospect Park|website=Prospect Park|date=July 13, 2016|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-park-receives-city-funding-improve-childr/|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214174406/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-park-receives-city-funding-improve-childr/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Prospect Park gets $3.7 million in funding for improvements|website=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|date=November 2, 2015|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/11/02/prospect-park-gets-3-7-million-in-funding-for-improvements/|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214174359/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/11/02/prospect-park-gets-3-7-million-in-funding-for-improvements/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2016, as part of a project to repair damage caused by [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012, the Prospect Park Alliance used goats to clean up the shrubbery in woodlands around the Vale of Cashmere,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/nyregion/prospect-park-goats-then-shrubbery.html|title=In Prospect Park, First the Goats, Then the Shrubbery|last=Stapinski|first=Helene|date=October 5, 2017|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065616/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/nyregion/prospect-park-goats-then-shrubbery.html|url-status=live}}</ref> then re-landscaped the sites at a cost of $727,000.<ref name="The New York Times 2015" />

The Well House, located on the Lake, reopened in 2017 as a composting restroom,<ref name="Spectrum News NY1 {{pipe}} New York City 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/queens/news/2017/06/19/prospect-park-wellhouse|title=Prospect Park Wellhouse is Flowing Once Again|date=June 19, 2017|website=Spectrum News NY1 {{pipe}} New York City|access-date=February 2, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095521/https://www.ny1.com/nyc/queens/news/2017/06/19/prospect-park-wellhouse|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Warerkar 2017">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/6/19/15832170/prospect-park-wellhouse-composting-restroom|title=Prospect Park's 148-year-old Wellhouse is transformed into a composting restroom|last=Warerkar|first=Tanay|date=June 19, 2017|website=Curbed NY|access-date=February 2, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095300/https://ny.curbed.com/2017/6/19/15832170/prospect-park-wellhouse-composting-restroom|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Dog Beach along the watercourse's Upper Pool was renovated.<ref name="Peele 2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/nyregion/where-the-dogs-are.html|title=Where the Dogs Are|last=Peele|first=Robert|date=November 8, 2017|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002752/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/nyregion/where-the-dogs-are.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, the Alliance received funds to renovate the Parade Ground, the Tennis House, and ball fields.<ref name="BKLYNER 2017">{{cite web|url=https://bklyner.com/prospect-park-receives-funding-to-restore-tennis-house-ball-fields-parade-ground-and-parkside-ave/|title=Prospect Park Receives Funding To Restore Tennis House, Parade Ground, And More|date=July 27, 2017|website=BKLYNER|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124543/https://bklyner.com/prospect-park-receives-funding-to-restore-tennis-house-ball-fields-parade-ground-and-parkside-ave/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Alliance also announced an upcoming renovation of the Rose Garden.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/22/dtg-prospect-park-rose-garden-restoration-2017-05-26-bk.html|title=Planting a new Rose Garden! Prospect Park officials call for ideas to revive forgotten patch of greenspace|date=May 26, 2017|website=Brooklyn Paper|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065822/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/22/dtg-prospect-park-rose-garden-restoration-2017-05-26-bk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ball fields 6 and 7 were renovated and reopened in 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/39/dtg-prospect-park-debuts-new-baseball-fields-2017-09-29-bk.html|title=Double play: Prospect Park honchos unveil pair of renovated ball fields|date=September 29, 2017|website=Brooklyn Paper|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035414/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/40/39/dtg-prospect-park-debuts-new-baseball-fields-2017-09-29-bk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while ball fields 4 and 5 reopened in late 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last=Verde|first=Ben|title=Prospect Park ballfields reopen after restoration|website=Brooklyn Paper|date=October 13, 2020|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-ballfields-reopen-after-long-restoration/|access-date=April 22, 2023|archive-date=April 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422211732/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-ballfields-reopen-after-long-restoration/|url-status=live}}</ref> Construction started on the Flatbush Avenue fence repairs in 2018, and the new entrances were slated to start construction in early 2019.<ref name="am New York 2018" /><ref name="BKLYNER 2018">{{cite web|url=https://bklyner.com/upgrades-and-new-entrances-coming-to-flatbush-avenue-side-of-prospect-park/|title=Upgrades And New Entrances Coming To Flatbush Avenue Side Of Prospect Park|date=April 26, 2018|website=BKLYNER|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213005925/https://bklyner.com/upgrades-and-new-entrances-coming-to-flatbush-avenue-side-of-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> Construction of a dog run in the Parade Ground also started in August 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/42/31/dtg-dog-run-groundbreaking-2019-08-02-bk.html|title=Work starts on long-delayed Kensington Dog Run|date=July 30, 2019|first=Aidan|last=Graham|website=Brooklyn Paper|language=en|access-date=July 30, 2019|archive-date=July 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730123734/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/42/31/dtg-dog-run-groundbreaking-2019-08-02-bk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the dog run opened in July 2020.<ref name="bhr20200707">{{Cite web|first=Jaime|last=DeJesus|date=July 7, 2020|title=Ribbon cut on new dog run in Prospect Park|url=https://brooklynreporter.com/2020/07/ribbon-cut-on-new-dog-run-in-prospect-park/|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=The Brooklyn Home Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716180954/https://brooklynreporter.com/2020/07/ribbon-cut-on-new-dog-run-in-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, [[Amanda Williams (artist)|Amanda Williams]] and [[Olalekan Jeyifous]] were selected in 2019 to design ''Our Destiny, Our Democracy'', a monument near the Ocean and Parkside Avenue entrance.<ref name="Franklin 2019 z778">{{cite web|last=Franklin|first=Sydney|date=May 13, 2019|title=Shirley Chisholm monument designers discuss using space to honor a legacy|url=https://www.archpaper.com/2019/05/shirley-chisholm-monument-amanda-williams-olalekan-jeyifous/|access-date=January 15, 2024|website=The Architect's Newspaper|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115165648/https://www.archpaper.com/2019/05/shirley-chisholm-monument-amanda-williams-olalekan-jeyifous/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Steinhauer|first=Jillian|date=2019-04-23|title=The Shirley Chisholm Monument in Brooklyn Finds Its Designers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/arts/design/shirley-chisholm-monument-prospect-park.html|access-date=2024-01-15|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314084150/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/arts/design/shirley-chisholm-monument-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 2020s ====
The Concert Grove Pavilion reopened in April 2021 after a one-year renovation.<ref name="Rahmanan 2021" /><ref name="Verde 2021" /> That December, a $40 million renovation of the Vale of Cashmere was announced.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 16, 2021|title=Mayor Bill de Blasio announces historic $40M in funding to transform the Vale in Prospect Park|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/12/16/mayor-bill-de-blasio-announces-historic-40m-in-funding-to-transform-the-vale-in-prospect-park/|access-date=December 23, 2021|website=Brooklyn Eagle|language=en-US|archive-date=December 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223185740/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/12/16/mayor-bill-de-blasio-announces-historic-40m-in-funding-to-transform-the-vale-in-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Barron|first=James|date=December 16, 2021|title=How Eric Adams Picked a Police Commissioner|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/nyregion/eric-adams-police-commissioner-pick.html|access-date=December 24, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224010130/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/nyregion/eric-adams-police-commissioner-pick.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The last two ball fields on Long Meadow reopened in early 2023 after several years of renovations.<ref>{{cite web|last=Beer|first=Isabel Song|title=Play ball! Prospect Park ballfield renovations wrap up just in time for baseball season|website=Brooklyn Paper|date=April 5, 2023|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-ballfield-renovation-complete/|access-date=April 22, 2023|archive-date=April 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422211734/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-ballfield-renovation-complete/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Rahhal|first=Emily|title=Play Ball!: Prospect Park Baseball Fields Reopen After Renovations|website=Prospect Heights-Crown Heights, NY Patch|date=April 4, 2023|url=https://patch.com/new-york/prospectheights/play-ball-prospect-park-baseball-fields-reopen-after-renovations|access-date=April 22, 2023|archive-date=April 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422211734/https://patch.com/new-york/prospectheights/play-ball-prospect-park-baseball-fields-reopen-after-renovations|url-status=live}}</ref> During mid-2023, the New York City government considered erecting tents in Prospect Park to temporarily house asylum seekers.<ref name="nyt-2023-05-08">{{Cite news|last=Rubinstein|first=Dana|date=2023-05-08|title=Racetracks, Parks, Offices: A Frantic Search for Migrant Housing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/nyregion/migrants-shelter-flatiron-nyc.html|access-date=2023-05-12|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512155932/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/nyregion/migrants-shelter-flatiron-nyc.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gloria Pazmino 2023">{{cite web|first1=Gloria|last1=Pazmino|first2=Samantha|last2=Beech|date=May 6, 2023|title=New York City mayor announces plan to transport willing migrants to locations outside the city ahead of expected surge|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/nyc-tent-housing-migrant-surge/index.html|access-date=May 12, 2023|website=CNN|archive-date=May 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512001514/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/nyc-tent-housing-migrant-surge/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Prospect Park Alliance reopened Fallkill Falls to the public in October 2023;<ref name="Gonella 2023 u024">{{cite web|last=Gonella|first=Catalina|title=Fallkill Trail opens to public at Prospect Park after restoration|website=Gothamist|date=October 25, 2023|url=https://gothamist.com/news/fallkill-trail-opens-to-public-at-prospect-park-after-restoration|access-date=November 20, 2023|archive-date=November 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120223024/https://gothamist.com/news/fallkill-trail-opens-to-public-at-prospect-park-after-restoration|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Frost 2023 u640">{{cite web|last=Frost|first=Mary|title=After 28 years, Prospect Park reopens Fallkill Trail|website=Brooklyn Eagle|date=October 27, 2023|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/10/27/after-28-years-prospect-park-reopens-fallkill-trail/|access-date=November 20, 2023|archive-date=November 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120223024/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/10/27/after-28-years-prospect-park-reopens-fallkill-trail/|url-status=live}}</ref> prior to Fallkill Falls' reopening, trespassers regularly accessed it.<ref name="Fadulu 2023 p630">{{cite web|last=Fadulu|first=Lola|title=Visitors Will Be Able to See Prospect Park's Waterfall. Eventually.|website=The New York Times|date=October 23, 2023|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/nyregion/prospect-park-waterfall.html|access-date=October 24, 2023|archive-date=October 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024023814/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/nyregion/prospect-park-waterfall.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The organization announced in January 2024 that an abandoned comfort station at the Ocean and Parkside Avenue entrance would be converted into a welcome center named for [[Shirley Chisholm]], which was expected to open in two years.<ref name="Camille 2024 z153">{{cite web|last=Camille|first=Jada|date=January 11, 2024|title=Prospect Park Alliance to open new Shirley Chisholm Welcome Center in Brooklyn's Backyard|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-shirley-chisholm-center/|access-date=January 15, 2024|website=Brooklyn Paper|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115165648/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-shirley-chisholm-center/|url-status=live}}</ref> A cafe opened in the Prospect Park Boathouse that July.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brendlen |first=Kirstyn |date=June 27, 2024 |title=Summer gets sweeter as Purselane Cafe opens at Prospect Park boathouse |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/purselane-cafe-opens-prospect-park/ |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=Brooklyn Paper}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ginsburg |first=Aaron |date=June 28, 2024 |title=Sustainable cafe with coffee and cocktails opening at Prospect Park Boathouse terrace |url=https://www.6sqft.com/sustainable-cafe-with-coffee-and-cocktails-opening-at-prospect-park-boathouse-terrace/ |access-date=June 29, 2024 |website=6sqft}}</ref> 

During the [[2024 Northeastern United States wildfires|November 2024 wildfire outbreak in the northeast U.S.]], a fire broke out in the Ravine,<ref>{{cite magazine | last=O'Connor | first=M. R. | title=The Northeast Is Becoming Fire Country | magazine=The New Yorker | date=November 20, 2024 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-northeast-is-becoming-fire-country | access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref> damaging {{convert|2|acre}} of woodland.<ref>{{cite web | last=Brendlen | first=Kirstyn | title=After fire, Prospect Park will take 'many seasons' to recover and prepare for future droughts | website=Brooklyn Paper | date=November 13, 2024 | url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/prospect-park-recover-fire-prepare-future/ | access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Colon | first=Shayla | title=Brush Fire in Brooklyn's Prospect Park Burns 2 Acres | website=The New York Times | date=November 9, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/nyregion/prospect-park-fire.html | access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref> The Prospect Park Alliance estimated that it would cost $200,000 to restore the burned forest.<ref>{{cite web | last=Barron | first=James | title=New Year's Eve Fireworks in the Parks Are Canceled | website=The New York Times | date=December 4, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/nyregion/new-years-eve-fireworks-parks.html | access-date=December 5, 2024}}</ref> The LeFrak Center at Lakeside reopened in 2025 following a renovation,<ref>{{cite web |last=Lowy |first=Y.M. |date=July 28, 2025 |title=Prospect Park's Lakeside Center Reopens with Upgrades |url=https://www.boropark24.com/news/prospect-park-s-lakeside-center-reopens-with-upgrades |access-date=July 28, 2025 |website=Boro Park 24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Frishberg |first=Hannah |date=July 27, 2025 |title=Prospect Park's LeFrak Center reopens with pickleball |url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/prospect-parks-lefrak-center-reopens-with-pickleball-and-no-lola-star-roller-nights |access-date=July 28, 2025 |website=Gothamist}}</ref> and Ekstein Development Group and Oberon Restaurant Group were hired to manage the LeFrak Center.<ref>{{cite web |last=Seaman |first=Olivia |date=July 14, 2025 |title=Prospect Park's LeFrak Center at Lakeside gets a refresh with new operators, upgraded amenities |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/lefrak-center-lakeside-reopening/ |access-date=July 28, 2025 |website=Brooklyn Paper}}</ref> The Prospect Park Alliance opened five nature trails in the park that August<ref>{{cite web | title=✰PREMIUM Why Brooklyn should celebrate the launch of Prospect Park's nature trail system | website=Brooklyn Eagle | date=2025-08-11 | url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/08/11/celebrate-the-launch-of-prospect-parks-nature-trail-system/ | access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kliger | first=Hannah | title=Prospect Park opens nature trail system through Brooklyn's last old growth forest | website=CBS New York | date=2025-08-08 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/prospect-park-nature-trail-old-growth-forest/ | access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref> and announced plans in October to plant 3,000 trees in the Ravine.<ref>{{cite web | last=Barron | first=James | title=Why Thousands of Trees and Shrubs Are Coming to Prospect Park | website=The New York Times | date=October 30, 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/nyregion/prospect-park-brush-fire-rebuilding.html | access-date=October 30, 2025}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Prospect Park (Brooklyn)}}
Prospect Park occupies {{convert|526|acre|ha|abbr=}} in central Brooklyn. It is bound by Prospect Park West and the neighborhood of [[Park Slope]] to the northwest; Prospect Park Southwest and the [[Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn|Windsor Terrace]] neighborhood to the southwest and west; Parkside Avenue, [[Ocean Avenue (Brooklyn)|Ocean Avenue]], [[Flatbush Avenue]], and the neighborhood of [[Flatbush]] to the south and southeast; and [[Grand Army Plaza]] and the neighborhood of [[Prospect Heights, Brooklyn|Prospect Heights]] to the north.<ref name="parkstat" />

=== Design ===
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux engineered Prospect Park to recreate in real space the pastoral, picturesque, and aesthetic ideals expressed in contemporary paintings.<ref name="nycl"/>{{rp|3}}<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|219–220}} The overall design was inspired partially by [[Birkenhead Park]] in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> Prospect Park had recent precedents in the pastoral style, notably [[Mount Auburn Cemetery]] near Boston and [[Green-Wood Cemetery]] a few blocks away.<ref name="Bluestone 1987" /> Olmsted and Vaux felt they had greater success in Brooklyn because of the lack of obstacles there, but they were also assisted in part by park commissioner James Stranahan's patronage and support of their plan.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|219–220}}

The two designers wanted visitors to be able to traverse Prospect Park with a myriad of perspectives so that the features could be enjoyed in any order.<ref name="Bluestone 1987" /> Olmsted was more involved with the general design of Prospect Park, while Vaux was more involved with specific details.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> They created the large Long Meadow out of hilly upland pasture interspersed with peat bogs. They also moved and planted trees, hauled topsoil and created a vast unfolding turf with trees placed both separately and in groups. The designers wanted Lookout Hill to be a place of broad views out over Prospect Lake, the farmland beyond, and the bay and ocean in the distance.<ref name="Lancaster" /> To create an illusion of an expansive space, Olmsted and Vaux designed the paths in Prospect Park to be meandering.<ref name="Dailey 2013" />

=== Layout ===
In Olmsted and Vaux's final plan for the park, it was divided into three distinct zones: an open section, a wooded section, and a waterside section. The Parade Ground at the far southwestern corner was excluded from the system of zones.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Bluestone 1987" /><ref name="Gray 1994">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/realestate/streetscapes-prospect-park-the-other-olmsted-vaux-landscape-masterpiece.html|title=Streetscapes/Prospect Park; The Other Olmsted & Vaux Landscape Masterpiece|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=July 17, 1994|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129012110/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/17/realestate/streetscapes-prospect-park-the-other-olmsted-vaux-landscape-masterpiece.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first zone consisted of the Long Meadow, a wide open space along the west side of the park.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018">{{Cite map|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/media/filer_public/fc/df/fcdf91e9-eb0b-4663-a163-541f79c51c88/prospect_park_map.pdf|title=Prospect Park Alliance Map|publisher=Prospect Park Alliance|date=2018|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810024340/https://www.prospectpark.org/media/filer_public/fc/df/fcdf91e9-eb0b-4663-a163-541f79c51c88/prospect_park_map.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> It contains two entrances through tunnels: Meadowport Arch and Endale Arch.<ref name="Gray 1994" /> The Third Street Playground, Harmony Playground, bandshell, and the picnic and tennis houses are also located here. West Drive traverses this section of Prospect Park.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />

The second zone is the wooded area in the middle of the park and contains the headwaters of the park's watercourse. In this zone, on the northeast side of the park, there are several points of interest: the Ravine, the Vale of Cashmere, the Rose Garden, the Zucker Natural Exploration Area, and the [[Prospect Park Zoo]].<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The area contains the Nethermead Arch, an elaborate triple-span bridge.<ref name="Gray 1994" /> Quaker Hill and the Friends Cemetery are located near the southwest boundary of Prospect Park.<ref name="Biederman 1998">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/27/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-park-slope-he-s-here-for-eternity-but-don-t.html|title=Neighborhood Report: Prospect Park/Park Slope; He's Here for Eternity, but Don't Ask Where|last=Biederman|first=Marcia|date=September 27, 1998|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 21, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821161254/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/27/nyregion/neighborhood-report-prospect-park-park-slope-he-s-here-for-eternity-but-don-t.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lookout Hill, as well as a large open space called the Nethermead, are located to the south and east of Quaker Hill, respectively.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The Ravine also contains the Midwood, an [[old-growth forest]] incorporated into Prospect Park during its construction.<ref name="LastForest" /><ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref name="Scherer 2017" />

The third zone is along the park's south side and consists of Prospect Lake, as well as a peninsula jutting eastward from the lake's northern shore.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It is the outlet for the Lullwater, a meandering stream.<ref name="Gray 1994" /> The Lullwater contains the classical-style [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse]], a city- and federally-designated landmark, on the Lullwater's eastern shore. To the south, along the lake's eastern shore, are the White Levy Esplanade, as well as the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, a multipurpose recreation center.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The LeFrak Center at Lakeside consists of a pair of one-story structures, which share a planted roof. The rink's ceiling contains abstract light-colored streaks on a blue background, which are intended to represent skaters' movements. Also part of the LeFrak Center is a building with a cafe, offices, and event space.<ref name="Bendov 2017 p. 124">{{cite book|last=Bendov|first=Pavel|title=New Architecture New York|publisher=Prestel Publishing|year=2017|isbn=978-3-7913-8368-2|publication-place=New York, NY|page=121|oclc=976405424}}</ref>

Parkside Avenue, a roughly west–east street, divides the southwestern part of Prospect Park from the rest of the park. This detached sliver of parkland is bounded by Parkside Avenue to the north, Coney Island Avenue to the west, Caton Avenue to the south, and Parade Place to the east. It contains the Parade Ground, which has fifteen numbered courts and fields for various sports.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />

== {{anchor|Natural features}}Landscape features ==
=== Watercourse ===
{{Multiple image
| title = The Lake
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| total_width = 250
| image1 = Lake Prospect Park.jpg
| caption1 = Summer
| image2 = Prospect Park Brooklyn Feb 2019 59.jpg
| caption2 = Winter
}}
All of the waterways in Prospect Park are part of a single man-made watercourse. A winding naturalistic stream channel with several ponds feeds a {{Convert|60|acre|ha|abbr=|adj=on}} lake at the south end of the park.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> In designing the watercourse, Olmsted and Vaux also took advantage of the preexisting glacier-formed [[Kettle (geology)|kettle ponds]] and lowland outwash plains to create a [[drainage basin]] centered around the waterway. They crafted the watercourse to include a steep, forested Ravine with significant river edge flora and fauna habitats.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011">{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/34/web_lloydletter_2011_8_26_bk.html|title=The Park is functioning as designed|date=August 26, 2011|website=Brooklyn Paper|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002938/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/34/web_lloydletter_2011_8_26_bk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, the watercourse is able to accommodate significant bird and fish populations.<ref name="Prospect Park 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/11760|title=Prospect Park Highlights – the Wetlands of New York City : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014152018/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/11760|url-status=live}}</ref>

Much of the watercourse is lined with vegetation that is designed to absorb precipitation and additional water flow.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011" /> Olmsted also included an expansive drainage system, which is still in use and extends under the Long Meadow, Ravine, and Nethermead.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> About two-thirds of Prospect Park Lake's water typically evaporates. However, to prevent flooding after heavy precipitation, Prospect Park employees can control the outflow of water from the lake using a valve.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011" /><ref name="Pollak 2009">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/nyregion/15fyi.html|title=Take That, E-Mail|last=Pollak|first=Michael|date=November 15, 2009|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214003038/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/nyregion/15fyi.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the mid-20th century, these artificial waterways and the steep slopes around them had lost their original design character.  In 1994, the Prospect Park Alliance launched a 25-year $43-million restoration project for the watercourse.<ref name="LastForest" />

==== Smaller waterways ====
The water in Prospect Park originates at the top of Fallkill Falls in the center of the park, just north of Quaker Hill and east of Long Meadow.<ref name="Kadinsky20162">{{cite Hidden Waters NYC|pages=226–229}}</ref><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />  The [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)#Well House|Well House]] on the north side of the Lake originally provided the water for the watercourse, and was connected to an underground [[aquifer]].<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011" /> The Well House became outdated when Prospect Park was connected to the [[New York City water supply system]] in the early 20th century.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /><ref name="Warerkar 2017" /><ref name="Vries 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.brownstoner.com/history/prospect-park-brooklyn-wellhouse-cistern-calvert-vaux-prospect-park-alliance/|title=Take a Seat on a Piece of Engineering History in Prospect Park|last=De Vries|first=Susan|date=June 20, 2018|website=Brownstoner|access-date=February 2, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095549/https://www.brownstoner.com/history/prospect-park-brooklyn-wellhouse-cistern-calvert-vaux-prospect-park-alliance/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the 21st century, Fallkill Falls was fed by a pipe from the city's water system.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011" /><ref name="Pollak 2009" />

[[File:Prospect Park New York May 2015 009.jpg|thumb|left|Binnen waterfall]]
The water from Fallkill Falls runs into Fallkill Pool, past the Fallkill Bridge, through the Upper Pool and Lower Pool, where migratory birds rest and marsh and other water plants can be found.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> The Upper Pool abuts a dog beach, while the Long Meadow is adjacent to the Lower Pool.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The water then passes under the Esdale Bridge, a footbridge over Ambergill Pond. The pond, and the Ambergill Falls just past it, was named by Olmsted and refers to the [[Gill (ravine)|Old Norse word for "creek"]].<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> After passing through Ambergill Falls, the water flows under Rock Arch Bridge and past the Ravine, entering the Binnenwater, which is named after a Dutch word for "within".<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|64}}<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> The waters then cascade beneath the Binnen Bridge to the Lullwater, a small pond that contains the Boathouse on its eastern bank. The water then flows under the Lullwater and Terrace bridges to the Peninsula, which is managed both as bird sanctuary and recreational field.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />

==== Lake ====
[[File:Prospect Park lake.jpeg|thumb|Prospect Park's lake]]
The mouth of Prospect Park's watercourse is the artificial, 60-acre Prospect Lake (also known as Prospect Park Lake).<ref name="Prospect Park 1939" /> Prospect Lake includes several islands and is home to over 20 species of fish. Every year, the lake hosts the R.H. Macy's Fishing Contest,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/family/kids/17391/|title=Go Fish|last=Avery|first=Susan|date=July 10, 2006|website=NYMag.com|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=August 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805114955/https://nymag.com/family/kids/17391/|url-status=live}}</ref> a tradition that dates to 1947.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/go-fish-trying-to-land-a-big-one-in-prospect-park/|title=Go Fish: Trying to Land a Big One in Prospect Park|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=July 18, 2016|website=City Room|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007160414/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/go-fish-trying-to-land-a-big-one-in-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> Though NYC Parks generally allows licensed anglers to fish, it maintains a [[catch and release]] policy to prevent depletion of the fish population.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/sports/othersports/08outdoors.html|title=Catch This! Lake Full of Largemouth Only a Subway Ride Away|last=Skog|first=Jason|date=July 8, 2006|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124206/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/sports/othersports/08outdoors.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, visitors may explore the lake in [[kayak]]s and [[Pedalo|pedal boats]], available at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside,<ref name="PP-Pedalboats">{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/boating/|title=Boating in Prospect Park|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=March 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315224757/https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/boating/|url-status=live}}</ref> or the ''Independence,'' a replica of the original [[Electric boat|electric launch]] which took day-trippers around the lake in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/audubon-center-at-the-boathouse|title=Audubon Center at the Boathouse – Things to do in Prospect Park, Brooklyn|date=March 7, 2011|website=Time Out New York|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124252/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/audubon-center-at-the-boathouse|url-status=live}}</ref> On the shore of the lake, there are several "rustic shelters" that provide scenic views of the water.<ref name="Forgotten New York 2005">{{cite web|url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2005/05/secrets-of-prospect-park/|title=Secrets of Prospect Park|date=May 30, 2005|website=Forgotten New York|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209123946/https://forgotten-ny.com/2005/05/secrets-of-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ice skating, popularized in Central Park, was a key reason for including Prospect Lake in the design of the park's watercourse.<ref name="Lancaster" /> In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, red balls raised on the fronts of [[Tram|trolley]] cars signified that the ice was at least four inches thick.<ref name="Iceskate">{{cite news|title=Ball Goes Up Again|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|page=17|date=January 9, 1900|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50380935/|access-date=February 20, 2018|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002940/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50380935/|url-status=live}}</ref> Red flags were also placed at Grand Army Plaza to indicate the ice's sufficient thickness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/archives-skating-through-history/|title=From the Archives: Skating through History|date=January 22, 2019|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153227/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/archives-skating-through-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, green flags were used to indicate that the ice was thick enough, and red flags indicated that the ice was too thin. Since then, safety concerns have ended skating on the lake; as a result of [[climate change]], winters have become warmer in the 21st century compared to the 19th century, the ice on the lake has become too thin to accommodate skaters.<ref name="Bahrampour 2000" /> Ice skating moved to the Kate Wollman Rink in 1960, and again to the Lakeside Center in 2012.<ref name="Lakeside" />

===The Ravine===
[[File:Prospect Park Brooklyn Mar 2019 79.jpg|thumb|View of the watercourse inside the Ravine]]

A {{convert|146|acre|adj=on}} section of Prospect Park's interior is known as the Ravine.<ref name="NewsTimes 2009">{{cite news|title=New life for Prospect Park|website=NewsTimes|date=November 24, 2009|url=https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/New-life-for-Prospect-Park-47222.php|access-date=November 20, 2023|archive-date=November 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120222758/https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/New-life-for-Prospect-Park-47222.php|url-status=live|last1=Ct)|first1=News-Times}}</ref><ref name="TCLF">{{cite web|title=Prospect Park|website=[[The Cultural Landscape Foundation]]|url=https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/prospect-park|access-date=November 20, 2023|archive-date=November 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120222758/https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/prospect-park|url-status=live}}</ref> The region contains the headwaters of the park's water system, as well as Brooklyn's only remaining old-growth forest, the Midwood.<ref name="LastForest" /><ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref name="Scherer 2017" /> Olmsted and Vaux saw the Ravine as the heart of Prospect Park and the centerpiece of mountainous tableaux similar to the [[Adirondack Mountains]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-prospect-parks-top-sites-2013-11?op=1|title=29 Reasons Why Prospect Park Is The Best In New York|website=businessinsider.com|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-date=March 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321130525/http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-prospect-parks-top-sites-2013-11?op=1|url-status=live}}</ref> and designed it in a similar fashion to their [[The Ramble and Lake|Ramble in Central Park]].<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> The perimeter of the area is a steep, narrow {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} gorge.  The watercourse goes through the Ravine en route to the Boathouse.<ref name="ravinehistory" />

The original design of the Ravine was more aesthetic than functional, and decades of deferred maintenance had degraded the Ravine and made it hard to drain. During the 1970s, the brush was trimmed in order to make it harder for muggers to hide, and by the 1990s, the stream had dried up.<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> In 1996, still recovering from decades of overuse that caused soil compaction and erosion, the Ravine and surrounding woodlands underwent a $4.5 million restoration.<ref name="LastForest" /><ref name="Martin 1998" /> The Ravine was opened for tours two years later.<ref name="Martin 1998" /><ref name="ravinehistory" /> By 2002, part of the Ravine had been restored and opened to the public.<ref name="ravinehistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.prospectpark.org/about-prospect-park/history/historic-places/ravine|title=Ravine District history|website=prospectpark.org|access-date=March 20, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713042639/http://www.prospectpark.org/about-prospect-park/history/historic-places/ravine|archive-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref>

Directly south of the Ravine is a [[meadow#Urban meadow|meadow]] called the Nethermead, which occupies much of the space along the western bank of the watercourse between Center and Wellhouse Drive.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018"/> To the southwest of the Nethermead is Lookout Hill, which occupies the remaining area between Center and Wellhouse Drives.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018"/>

{{wide image|ProspectPark Brooklyn Nethermead.jpg|750px|Southward view from the Nethermead Arches toward the Nethermead}}

=== Long Meadow ===
[[File:A walk in the park (49086734093).jpg|thumb|200px|A man and his dog enter Long Meadow from the west]]
The Long Meadow stretches down the western side of Prospect Park.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The meadow contains two playgrounds, the Tennis House, the Picnic House, a bandshell, a dog beach, and NYC Parks maintenance facilities.<ref name="Lancaster" /> In a contrast with the Ravine and the watercourse, the Long Meadow is mostly flat open space. As designed, it provided a visual buffer between the neighborhoods to the west and the interior of the park. During construction, Olmsted laid out hundreds of trees in meticulous patterns around the meadow.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Jacobs 2017">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/7/12/15953944/prospect-park-150-frederick-law-olmsted|title=The manhole in the meadow|last=Jacobs|first=Karrie|date=July 12, 2017|website=Curbed NY|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035500/https://ny.curbed.com/2017/7/12/15953944/prospect-park-150-frederick-law-olmsted|url-status=live}}</ref>

Originally, the Long Meadow hosted sports such as archery,<ref name="Dailey 2013" /> croquet,<ref name="The New York Times 2014" /> bowling, football, baseball, and tennis.<ref name="Lancaster" /> To preserve the meadow's pastoral quality, sheep grazed on the meadow until the 1930s.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|16}}<ref name="Jacobs 2017" /> Today, much of the Long Meadow is used for a variety of purposes.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|16}}<ref name="NYTimes-EnjoyPP-2018"/> The southern part of the Long Meadow contains seven baseball fields.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="NYTimes-EnjoyPP-2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/travel/prospect-park-brooklyn-new-york.html|title=How to Enjoy Brooklyn's Prospect Park|date=June 19, 2018|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035602/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/travel/prospect-park-brooklyn-new-york.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Fauna and flora ==
[[File:Camperdown Elm PP winter jeh.jpg|left|thumb|Prospect Park's Camperdown Elm]]
{{As of|2018||df=|since=}}, Prospect Park had 30,000 trees, comprising around 200 unique species.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bkreader.com/2018/10/02/survey-reveals-eco-benefits-and-value-of-prospect-park-trees/|title=Survey Reveals Eco Benefits and Value of Prospect Park Trees|last=Leonhardt|first=Andrea|date=October 2, 2018|website=BK Reader|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209092704/https://www.bkreader.com/2018/10/02/survey-reveals-eco-benefits-and-value-of-prospect-park-trees/|url-status=dead}}</ref> With few exceptions, the trees in Prospect Park were mostly planted manually. In its earliest years, Prospect Park had maintained a nursery of trees and plants, from which over a hundred thousand specimens were eventually taken.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park">{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/archives/park-tree-history/|title=The Tall History of Prospect Park's Trees|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=October 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014191550/https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/archives/park-tree-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Now, Prospect Park Alliance regularly maintains the park's flora, removing [[invasive species]] and adding native plants.<ref name="Prospect Park" /> Prospect Park contains four "great trees" that are specially recognized by NYC Parks. These include a [[Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'|Camperdown Elm]] south of the Boathouse, among the first planted in the United States; an [[Carpinus caroliniana|American Hornbeam]] and a [[Styphnolobium japonicum|Japanese Pagodatree]] located near the Camperdown Elm; and an [[Ulmus minor 'Atinia'|English Elm]] along West Drive.<ref name="Prospect Park" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/results-are-in-prospect-park-tree-survey/|title=The Results Are In! Prospect Park Tree Survey|date=September 14, 2018|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015738/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/results-are-in-prospect-park-tree-survey/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/great-trees|title=Prospect Park Great Trees : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015754/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/great-trees|url-status=live}}</ref> In late 2011, an [[oak]] tree was planted in the park as a memorial to Brooklyn native [[Peter Steele]], a member of the band [[Type O Negative]] who had died in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Yakowicz|first=Will|title=Memorial for Peter Steele, Type O Negative Front Man, in Prospect Park|website=Park Slope, NY Patch|date=March 8, 2013|url=https://patch.com/new-york/parkslope/memorial-for-peter-steele-type-o-negative-front-man-i2f4762c8d9|access-date=April 14, 2023|archive-date=April 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414232128/https://patch.com/new-york/parkslope/memorial-for-peter-steele-type-o-negative-front-man-i2f4762c8d9|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:PeterSteeleTree.jpg|thumb|An [[oak]] tree was planted in memory of [[Type O Negative]]'s [[Peter Steele]] in 2011 in Prospect Park. Fans of the band have hung tributes.]]

Prospect Park also accommodates a significant bird population. Each year, hundreds of migratory bird species stop at the park, and during winters, [[Birding in New York City|urban birdwatchers]] have reported seeing 60 unique species at the park on a good day, and 100 unique species over a typical season.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|94}} Over the years, a total of 298 species have been recorded at Prospect Park, including 11 not seen at other city parks.<ref name="Buckley 2018">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMpWDwAAQBAJ|title=Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City|last1=Buckley|first1=P.A.|last2=Sedwitz|first2=W.|last3=Norse|first3=W.J.|last4=Kieran|first4=J.|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2018|isbn=978-1-5017-1962-2|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041315/https://books.google.com/books?id=PMpWDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|35}}  Though there are no official lists of birds that have been seen at the park, the Brooklyn Bird Club has kept records of the avian species seen there between 1967 and 1990.<ref name="Buckley 2018" />{{Rp|34–35}} Popular spots for birds included Lookout and Quaker Hills, the Ravine, the Vale of Cashmere, and Lily Pond.<ref name="Lancaster" />

[[File:Hawk with dead rodent in Prospect Park 01.jpg|thumb|A [[Red-tailed hawk]] with its [[rodent]] prey in Prospect Park]]

There are other fauna species in Prospect Park as well. In particular, the watercourse includes waterfowl, turtles, bullfrogs, fish, and crustacean species. In addition, squirrels are commonly seen in the park's trees.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|94}}<ref name="Prospect Park 1939" /> Sightings of butterflies are also common, and since the 1990s and 2000s, increasing numbers of bats have been seen in Prospect Park.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|94}}

== Landmarks and structures ==
=== Plazas and entrances ===

Prospect Park is shaped roughly like a concave hexagon. There are three circles or plazas on the exterior corners of Prospect Park; all of these circles and plazas contain "major" park entrances.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2017" />{{Rp|7 (PDF p. 8)}}

====Major entrances====
[[Grand Army Plaza]] is an oval plaza at the northern corner, at the junction of Prospect Park West, [[Flatbush Avenue]], [[Eastern Parkway]], and several side streets. Olmsted and Vaux had intended for the plaza to be the park's main entrance, and it was constructed along with the park during the late 1860s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50397475/|title=Prospect Park|date=June 20, 1867|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 5, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=June 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612124953/http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib%3ALowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_BEAGLE&Type=text%2Fhtml&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=BEG%2F1867%2F06%2F20&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00219|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B040/history|title=Grand Army Plaza Highlights : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015324/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B040/history|url-status=live}}</ref> Grand Army Plaza's largest feature is the [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch]], a large [[triumphal arch]] in the center of the oval, which was dedicated in 1892. The plaza also includes four [[Doric order|Doric columns]], built 1894–1896; the ''[[Bailey Fountain]]'', constructed 1929–1932 on the site of two former fountains; and several statues of famous figures.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939 2" />

[[Bartel-Pritchard Square]], which is actually a circle, is at the far western corner of Prospect Park, at the junction of Prospect Park West and Southwest, where they turn into Ninth Avenue and 15th Street respectively. Dedicated with its present name in 1923, it is named after Brooklyn residents Emil Bartel and William Pritchard, who died in combat during [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160304/windsor-terrace/how-bartel-pritchard-square-got-its-name-despite-being-circle-shaped|title=How Bartel-Pritchard 'Square' Got Its Name Despite Being Circle-Shaped|last=Levy|first=Nicole|date=March 4, 2016|website=DNAinfo New York|access-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011224216/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160304/windsor-terrace/how-bartel-pritchard-square-got-its-name-despite-being-circle-shaped|archive-date=October 11, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The park entrance from the square was designed by Stanford White in 1896.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|48}}

{{Anchor|Machate Circle}}Machate Circle is at the southwestern corner, at the junction of Prospect Park West, Ocean Parkway, and Parkside Avenue. Originally named Park Circle, it was renamed in 1989 in honor of a police officer killed in the line of duty. The park entrance from Machate Circle was also designed by Stanford White.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/machate-circle/history|title=Machate Circle Highlights : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015711/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/machate-circle/history|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additional "major" entrances exist at the Parade Ground, on the park's south side; Parkside and Ocean Avenues, at the park's southeast corner; and [[Willink Plaza|Willink Hill]], at Flatbush and Ocean Avenues on the eastern border.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2017">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20171114/propsect-park-reduced.pdf|title=New Entrances for Prospect Park on Flatbush Avenue Located between Grand Army Plaza and the Prospect Park Zoo on Flatbush Avenue|last=Prospect Park Alliance|date=November 14, 2017|website=[[Government of New York City|nyc.gov]]|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213064113/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20171114/propsect-park-reduced.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|7 (PDF p. 8)}}<ref name="Prospect Park 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/park-map/park-entrances/|title=Park Entrances|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015957/https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/park-map/park-entrances/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Ocean/Parkside and Willink entrances were designed in the neoclassical style by McKim, Mead and White, and were built in the 1890s and 1900s. The Willink entrance is flanked by a pair of granite turrets, while the Ocean/Parkside entrance is located between the two portions of a curved granite colonnade.<ref name="Lancaster" /> Opposite the Willink entrance, there are the Flatbush Trees, three concrete cylinders with green sheet metal canopies, installed in 1979 and redecorated in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brownstoner.com/neighborhood/prospect-lefferts-gardens/spring-has-finally-come-to-the-flatbush-trees/|title=Spring Has Finally Come to the Flatbush Trees|last=Scherer|first=Jeff|date=June 29, 2015|website=Brownstoner|language=en-US|access-date=July 21, 2019|archive-date=July 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721164349/https://www.brownstoner.com/neighborhood/prospect-lefferts-gardens/spring-has-finally-come-to-the-flatbush-trees/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{multiple image
|align=center
|direction=horizontal
|total_width=500
|image1=Prospect Park (Brooklyn), 2.JPG
|alt1=The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in Grand Army Plaza
|caption1=The [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch]] in [[Grand Army Plaza]]
|image2=Prospect_Park_Bartel-Pritchard_Circle_Columns.jpg
|caption2=The columns at the park entrance outside [[Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn#Bartel-Pritchard Square|Bartel-Pritchard Square]]
}}

====Other entrances====
There are numerous other entrances spaced out along the park's border. These include five entrances on Prospect Park West, four on Prospect Park Southwest, and three on Ocean Avenue on the park's eastern border. In total, there are eighteen park entrances.<ref name="Prospect Park 2" /> Of these, the Third, Ninth, and 16th Street and Lincoln Road entrances are considered "major entrances", and are flanked by memorials or other decorations.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2017" />{{Rp|7 (PDF p. 8)}}  No entrances to Prospect Park have been built since the 1940s,<ref name="BKLYNER 2018" /> but two entrances were proposed for the Flatbush Avenue side in 2016 and are expected to be completed in mid-2020.<ref name="BKLYNER 2018" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8647|title=Prospect Park New Flatbush Avenue Entrances Construction and Willink Entrance Reconstruction : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=July 21, 2019|archive-date=August 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804051550/https://www.nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8647|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Bridges ===
==== Arches ====
{{multiple image
| header = Arches
|align=right
|total_width=350
|perrow=2
|image1=Restored Endale arch (03487).jpg
|image2=East Wood Arch in Prospect Park from west.jpg
|image3=Cleft Ridge Span in Prospect Park from East.jpg
|image4=Meadowpoint arch.jpg
|footer=Clockwise from top left: Endale Arch (restored in 2020), East Wood Arch, Meadowport Arch, and Cleft Ridge Span
}}
Prospect Park originally included several arched bridges to provide grade-separated crossings for pedestrian and vehicular traffic; usually, the vehicular drive was located on top of the arch, and the pedestrian path was below.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Gray 2011">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/realestate/the-fate-of-prospect-parks-five-arches.html|title=The Fate of Prospect Park's Five Arches|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=June 23, 2011|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130053144/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/realestate/the-fate-of-prospect-parks-five-arches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This contrasted with other parks at the time, which did not contain such separations. The arches were designed to be as small and natural-looking as possible so they did not interfere with the scenery.<ref name="nycl">{{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0903.pdf|title=Prospect Park|date=November 25, 1975|publisher=Landmarks Preservation Commission|access-date=December 28, 2018|archive-date=December 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223165332/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0903.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|6}}<ref name="nyc.gov 1871" />{{Rp|39–40}} For the most part, the spaces under the arches were originally outfitted with benches, while the arches themselves blended with the foliage.<ref name="nyc.gov 1871" />{{Rp|40}} Five arched bridges were ultimately built, all during the late 1860s and early 1870s.<ref name="Lancaster" />

Endale Arch, also known as Enterdale Arch, is located under East Drive, slightly south of the Grand Army Plaza entrance on the north side of the park, and adjacent to the northeast side of Long Meadow.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001">{{cite web|url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2001/08/the-bridges-of-prospect-park/|title=THE BRIDGES OF PROSPECT PARK|date=August 16, 2001|website=Forgotten New York|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129235936/https://forgotten-ny.com/2001/08/the-bridges-of-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was one of the first two arches to be completed, in 1868. Its exterior contained interspersed yellow Ohio [[sandstone]] and red New Jersey [[brownstone]].<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}}<ref name="Lancaster" /> The interior was composed of brick set between alternately black and yellow wooden stripes, designed as such to prevent condensation from dripping downward.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="nyc.gov 1871" />{{Rp|39–40}} Endale Arch contained seats underneath it, but these were later removed.<ref name="Gray 2011" /><ref name="Saraniero 2020"/> In 2014, the Prospect Park Alliance began a five-year restoration of the arch,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/endale-arch-restoration/|title=Endale Arch Restoration|date=November 20, 2014|website=Prospect Park|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130053145/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/endale-arch-restoration/|url-status=live}}</ref> which was completed in 2020.<ref name="Saraniero 2020">{{Cite web|last=Saraniero|first=Nicole|date=November 16, 2020|title=Prospect Park's Endale Arch Magnificently Restored|url=https://untappedcities.com/2020/11/16/prospect-parks-endale-arch-magnificently-restored/|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Untapped New York|language=en-US|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117020225/https://untappedcities.com/2020/11/16/prospect-parks-endale-arch-magnificently-restored/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=November 17, 2020|title=Inside The Beautifully Restored Endale Arch In Prospect Park|url=http://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/endale-arch|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117205959/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/endale-arch|url-status=live}}</ref>

East Wood Arch (or Eastwood Arch) is also located under East Drive, connecting the Nethermead Arch to the Willink Hill entrance on the eastern side of Prospect Park.<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}} It was the second of the two arches to be completed in 1868. East Wood Arch had a similar design to the Endale Arch, but had a simpler semicircular shape.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" />

Meadowport Arch is located on the northwest side of Long Meadow and passes under West Drive.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> It was completed in 1870.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> There were two portals at its eastern end, perpendicular to each other, creating a cross-vault. The arch had Ohio sandstone and wooden lining inside, and the portals contained circular [[cornice]]s, outward-facing [[Pier (architecture)|piers]], and octagonal domed [[finial]]s.<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}}<ref name="Lancaster" /> Meadowport Arch was restored in the 1980s, but has since fallen into disrepair.<ref name="Gray 2011" />

Nethermead Arch, also completed {{Circa|}} 1870,<ref name="Lancaster" /> carries Center Drive through the center of the park.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" />  The bridge contains three arches: one each above the Ambergill, the park path, and the bridle path.<ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> The span is made of Ohio sandstone and contains a trim of granite.<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}}<ref name="Lancaster" /> Unlike some of the other arches, Nethermead did not have any interior wood, but instead, had patterned red brick.<ref name="Gray 2011" /> ''The New York Times'' described its triple span as "one of the most astonishing structures in any city park".<ref name="Gray 1994" />

Cleft Ridge Span is located under Wellhouse Drive, at Breeze Hill, on the eastern side of Prospect Park.<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}}<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It was the final arch span to be opened, in 1872. The span was distinctive in its use of red, ochre, and pale gray concrete blocks called "Béton Coignet".<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Gray 2011" /><ref name="Chamberlin 1983">{{Cite journal|last=Chamberlin|first=William P.|date=1983|title=The Cleft-ridge Span: America's First Concrete Arch|journal=[[IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology]]|volume=9|issue=1|pages=29–44|jstor=40968042}}</ref> Cleft Ridge might have been the first concrete arch span in the United States.<ref name="Chamberlin 1983" /> Both the interior and exterior designs were elaborate, though these have since eroded.<ref name="Lancaster" />

==== Other spans ====
{{multiple image
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|total_width=400
|image1=Prospect Park (Brooklyn), 6.JPG|caption1=Lullwater Bridge
|image2=Terrace Bridge in Prospect Park from south.jpg|caption2=Terrace Bridge
}}
Lullwater Bridge and Terrace Bridge are the only bridges across the watercourse that were built to handle automobile traffic.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> Lullwater Bridge is located just downstream of the [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse]], on Prospect Park's eastern side.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The current metal span, built in 1905, replaces an oak bridge on the site that was originally constructed in 1868.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|68–69}}<ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> Further downstream, Terrace Bridge carries Well House Drive over the watercourse just before it empties into the lake.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Built in 1890, Terrace Bridge also replaced an earlier wooden span, and it contains cast-iron tracery and brick vaults underneath, which have since deteriorated.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|70–71}}<ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> It was so named because it was supposed to overlook the unbuilt Refectory, which had been canceled following the 1873 financial crisis.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Kadinsky20162" />

From northwest to southeast, the Fallkill, Esdale, Nethermead Arch, Rock Arch, Music Grove, and Binnen Bridges also cross the watercourse upstream of the Lullwater Bridge. Fallkill, Esdale, and Rock Arch Bridges are located northwest of Nethermead Arch, while Music Grove and Binnen Bridges are located southeast of the arch.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> At the source of the watercourse, Fallkill and Esdale Bridges are both intended to look like wooden bridges, though are made of steel and concrete frames.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|55}}<ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> Rock Arch Bridge, a boulder-lined span, crosses over Ambergill Falls; the waterfall had once been buried by the bridge's stonework, but was restored in the late 20th century when the bridge was rehabilitated.<ref name="PPGuide" />{{Rp|56}}<ref name="Forgotten New York 2001" /> To the south, Binnen Bridge and Music Grove Bridge were both designed as wood bridges.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /> Binnen Bridge is located just north of the Lullwater, while Music Grove Bridge further upstream is located next to the Music Pagoda.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />

=== Drives and paths ===
When it was built, Prospect Park did not have any transverse roadways. Instead, it was circled by a series of four scenic drives, named West, Center, Wellhouse, and East Drive.<ref name="nycl" />{{Rp|6}} The drives are paralleled by a more extensive system of pedestrian and bridle paths.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Several paths in the park, as well as East Drive, follow ancient Native American trails.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/indianpathsingre01bolt/indianpathsingre01bolt_djvu.txt|title=Indian paths in the great metropolis|last=Bolton|first=Reginald Pelham|date=1922|access-date=February 7, 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

The drives were originally {{Convert|40|ft|m|abbr=}} wide and paved with gravel. The main loop, composed of West and East Drives, meanders around the park just inside its boundaries.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The loops were paved with asphalt and opened to automobiles in 1918.<ref name="Baker 2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-is-car-free-at-last/|title=Prospect Park Is Car-Free At Last|last=Baker|first=R.C.|date=January 2, 2018|website=Village Voice|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=September 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912164140/https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-is-car-free-at-last/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Over the following decades, the hours at which vehicles could use the park were slowly restricted.<ref name="Voice cars">{{citation|author=Aaron Gordon|title=Prospect Park Is Car-Free at Last|date=January 2, 2018|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-is-car-free-at-last/|publisher=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=June 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622005046/https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-is-car-free-at-last/|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Supporters of a car ban argued that the park should be a haven from the type of city stress that automobiles represent, and that having them use the park sacrifices the safety of those using the park for [[recreation]],<ref name="Voice cars" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://transalt.org/campaigns/brooklyn/prospark.html|title=Transportation Alternatives Car-Free Prospect Park Campaign|website=transalt.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207013458/http://www.transalt.org/campaigns/brooklyn/prospark.html|archive-date=December 7, 2004|url-status=dead|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> while opponents worried that banning traffic in the park would increase traffic outside.<ref>[http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/39/31_39_bm_let_em_drive.html Keep Cars in Prospect Park] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203145552/http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/39/31_39_bm_let_em_drive.html |date=December 3, 2008 }} Brooklyn Paper, October 2, 2008</ref>  The park's West Drive was closed to traffic in 2015.  Following a trial run in which the park was car-free during summer 2017, the city determined that there were no major effects on nearby routes, and cars were barred completely from the park beginning in January 2018.<ref name="Baker 2018" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-car-ban-2/|title=Prospect Park Goes Permanently Car-Free|date=January 2, 2018|website=CBS New York|access-date=April 15, 2018|archive-date=April 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416073751/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/02/prospect-park-car-ban-2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Prospect-Park-Car-Free-Permanently-January-2018-452491093.html|title=Prospect Park Is Permanently Going Car-Free: Mayor|date=October 23, 2017|website=NBC 4 New York|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=June 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622005042/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Prospect-Park-Car-Free-Permanently-January-2018-452491093.html|url-status=live}}</ref> All of the drives are designated as [[protected bike lane]]s.<ref name="NYC Bike Map">{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bikemap-2019.pdf|title=NYC DOT – Bicycle Maps|date=2019|website=[[Government of New York City|nyc.gov]]|publisher=[[New York City Department of Transportation]]|access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514162629/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bikemap-2019.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are also four hiking trails inside Prospect Park: the Lullwater, Midwood, Peninsula, and Waterfall trails. They range in length from {{Convert|0.5|to|1.0|mi|km|abbr=}}, and NYC Parks classifies all of the trails as "easy". The trails are named after the section of the park where they are located.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/hikingtrails|title=Prospect Park Hiking Trails : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=February 13, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002754/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/hikingtrails|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Monuments and statues ===
{{multiple image
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|direction=horizontal
|total_width=350
|image1=Dongan Oak eagle plaque jeh.JPG|caption1=Dongan Oak monument, marking a fighting site in [[Battle of Long Island]]
|image2=MozartPP 2014-05-12 08-44.jpg|caption2=Mozart monument, erected in 1897
|image3=Lafayette Monument 20210216.jpg|caption3=The [[Lafayette Memorial]] by [[Daniel Chester French]], 1917
}}
Prospect Park contains dozens of monuments and statues to notable figures, including:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/|title=Prospect Park Monuments|date=June 26, 1939|website=NYC Parks|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233415/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A bronze statue of [[Abraham Lincoln]], sculpted by [[Henry Kirke Brown]] in 1869. Originally situated in Grand Army Plaza, it was relocated to the [[Concert Grove]] in Prospect Park in 1896, and restored in the late 1980s.<ref name="NYCParksLincoln">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/911|title=Abraham Lincoln|date=June 26, 1939|website=Abraham Lincoln : NYC Parks|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124009/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/911|url-status=live}}</ref> With the Concert Grove's restoration in the 2010s, it was proposed to move the statue back to its original position,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203833104577070110343065918|title=In Brooklyn, G Marks the Spot for a Bust of Abe Lincoln|last=Newman|first=Barry|date=December 10, 2011|website=WSJ|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050431/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203833104577070110343065918|url-status=live}}</ref> but {{As of|2016||df=|lc=|since=}}, it was still located in the Concert Grove.<ref>{{cite web|title=Emancipation desecration! Prospect Park's historic Lincoln statue vandalized|website=Brooklyn Paper|date=November 25, 2016|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/39/48/dtg-prospect-park-lincoln-statue-vandalized-2016-11-25-bk.html|access-date=August 21, 2019|archive-date=August 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820194913/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/39/48/dtg-prospect-park-lincoln-statue-vandalized-2016-11-25-bk.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A bronze-on-marble statue of [[James S.T. Stranahan]], sculpted by [[Frederick William MacMonnies|Frederick MacMonnies]] and located near the Grand Army Plaza entrance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1509|title=James S.T. Stranahan : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park Monuments|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506215056/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1509|url-status=live}}</ref> It was dedicated in 1891 and honors Stranahan, one of the key figures in the park's development.<ref name="BrooklynEagleStranahan" />
* The [[Lafayette Memorial]], a bas-relief on granite at the Ninth Street entrance on the park's west side. The monument, which honors [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette]], was sculpted by [[Daniel Chester French]] and was completed in 1917.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/883|title=Lafayette Memorial : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park Monuments|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203051319/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/883|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Maryland 400#Maryland 400 Monument|Maryland Monument]], a Corinthian column near Terrace Bridge. It was created by [[Stanford White]] and dedicated in 1895.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/02/04/archives/a-memorial-to-brave-marylanders.html|title=A Memorial to Brave Marylanders.|date=February 4, 1895|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050405/https://www.nytimes.com/1895/02/04/archives/a-memorial-to-brave-marylanders.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The column commemorates the [[Maryland 400]], members of the [[1st Maryland Regiment]] who charged British forces on Lookout Hill in the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolution, despite being outnumbered.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/19641|title=Maryland Monument : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park Highlights|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233417/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/19641|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Prospect Park War Memorial, along the eastern shore of the lake. Sculpted by [[Henry Augustus Lukeman]], it was dedicated in 1921. The memorial consists of two bronze figures in front of a curved wall with memorial plaques, containing the names of 2,800 people who died during [[World War I]].<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park Monuments 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1229|title=Prospect Park War Memorial : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park Monuments|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233431/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1229|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Monuments to classical composers, including [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], and [[Carl Maria von Weber|von Weber]], in Concert Grove.<ref name="Scherer 2017" /><ref name="NYCParksVonWeber">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1639|title=Von Weber Memorial : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=Prospect Park Monuments|access-date=February 14, 2019|archive-date=February 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233419/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/monuments/1639|url-status=live}}</ref> The surrounding area also contains tributes to poet [[Thomas Moore]], writer [[Washington Irving]], and classical composer [[Edvard Grieg]].<ref name="NYCParksVonWeber"/>
* A proposed monument of [[Shirley Chisholm]] at the Parkside and Ocean Avenues entrance. The design, by artists [[Amanda Williams (artist)|Amanda Williams]] and [[Olalekan Jeyifous]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Steinhauer|first=Jillian|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/arts/design/shirley-chisholm-monument-prospect-park.html|title=The Shirley Chisholm Monument in Brooklyn Finds Its Designers|date=April 23, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 25, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314084150/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/arts/design/shirley-chisholm-monument-prospect-park.html|url-status=live}}</ref> was approved by the city government in 2023.<ref>{{cite web | last=Small | first=Zachary | title=City Approves Design for Shirley Chisholm Monument in Prospect Park | website=The New York Times | issn=0362-4331 | date=July 17, 2023 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/arts/design/chisholm-monument-sculpture-approved.html | access-date=August 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Walton | first=Chris | title=Design for the Shirley Chisholm Monument gets approval | website=The Architect’s Newspaper | date=July 25, 2023 | url=https://www.archpaper.com/2023/07/olalekan-jeyifous-amanda-williams-shirley-chisholm-monument-gets-approval/ | access-date=August 10, 2025}}</ref>

=== Notable structures ===
==== West side and Long Meadow ====
[[File:Litchfield Villa jeh.JPG|alt=Litchfield Villa, on the west side of the park|thumb|[[Litchfield Villa]], on the west side of the park]]
The Picnic House is located in Long Meadow on Prospect Park's west side.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Built in 1927, it replaced an earlier rustic structure that had burned down the previous year.<ref name="PicnicHouse">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/04/26/archives/picnic-house-razed-by-fire-in-brooklyn-thousands-of-sunday.html|title=Picnic House Razed by Fire in Brooklyn|date=April 26, 1926|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003143/https://www.nytimes.com/1926/04/26/archives/picnic-house-razed-by-fire-in-brooklyn-thousands-of-sunday.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The structure was designed by J. Sarsfield Kennedy.<ref name="Lancaster" />

The [[Litchfield Villa]] is located near the intersection of 5th Street and Prospect Park West, directly west of the Picnic House.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The building was originally a private residence built in 1854–1857 in the [[Italianate architecture|Italianate style]]. NYC Parks has used Litchfield Villa as a maintenance and office building since the late 19th century.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The villa was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) in 1977.<ref>{{NRISref|2008a|name=Litchfield Villa|refnum=77000946|access-date=January 31, 2019|dateform=mdy}}</ref> A garage compound used by NYC Parks abuts the villa directly to the south.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" />

The Tennis House, constructed in 1909–1910 by Helmle, Hudswell and Huberty, is located on the Long Meadow at West Drive, west of approximately 8th Street.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The structure is a neoclassical structure made of limestone and brick, with a red tile roof.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}} It was first used as a locker room for [[tennis]] players, but later was converted into a non-public NYC Parks facility.<ref name="Lancaster" /> By the 2000s, the structure had become dilapidated. In 2017, it was announced that the Tennis House would be renovated and converted into restrooms as part of a $5.1 million, four-year project.<ref name="BKLYNER 2017" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170727/park-slope/prospect-park-historic-tennis-house-restoration-helmle-huberty|title=107-Year-Old Prospect Park Tennis House to Get $5.1 Million Makeover|last=Spivack|first=Caroline|date=July 27, 2017|website=DNAinfo New York|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209232042/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170727/park-slope/prospect-park-historic-tennis-house-restoration-helmle-huberty/|archive-date=February 9, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Roughly southeast of the Tennis House is the Dog Beach, on the western shore of the Fallkill section of the watercourse.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It is often used by dogs and their owners during summers, since Prospect Park has an "off-leash" policy that allows unleashed dogs during early mornings and late evenings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/outdoor/prospect-park-long-meadow|title=Prospect Park Long Meadow – Things to do in Prospect Park, New York|date=August 5, 2010|website=Time Out New York|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216094137/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/outdoor/prospect-park-long-meadow|url-status=live}}</ref> The beach was restored in 2017.<ref name="Peele 2017" />

[[File:Prospect Park Brooklyn Mar 2019 109.jpg|thumb|left|Bandshell]]

At 10th Street, to the west of West Drive, is the Harmony Playground and Bandshell.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The bandshell, designed by [[Aymar Embury II]], was built in 1939 on the site of a former "zoological site", which was used for archery and hockey. The bandshell and the adjacent playground were restored in 2000 and given a musical theme.<ref name="Harmony Playground : NYC Parks 1939" /> In June 2021, the Prospect Park Bandshell was renamed the Lena Horne Bandshell to honor [[Lena Horne]], a successful entertainer and Brooklyn native, as well as to show solidarity with the black community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-park-bandshell-renamed-lena-horne/|title=Prospect Park Bandshell renamed Lena Horne Bandshell|publisher=prospectpark.org|date=June 25, 2021|access-date=September 1, 2021|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901062704/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-park-bandshell-renamed-lena-horne/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Quinn|first=Anna|title=Prospect Park Bandshell Renamed For Black Trailblazer Lena Horne|website=Park Slope, NY Patch|date=June 17, 2021|url=https://patch.com/new-york/parkslope/prospect-park-bandshell-renamed-black-trailblazer-lena-horne|access-date=August 1, 2021|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901120253/https://patch.com/new-york/parkslope/prospect-park-bandshell-renamed-black-trailblazer-lena-horne|url-status=live}}</ref> The bandshell hosts numerous concerts every summer through the [[Celebrate Brooklyn!|BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!]] festival.

==== Northeast side ====
The Rose Garden is located next to Flatbush Avenue, on the north side of Prospect Park southwest of the Grand Army Plaza entrance.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It was built on the site of the Playground, a lawn that had been the first part of Prospect Park to open.<ref name="Lancaster" /> During the late 19th and early 20th century, the garden had roses and a goldfish pond.<ref name="Scherer 2017" /> The Rose Garden was renovated in the 1960s,<ref name="Knight 1971" /> after which the garden did not host any roses.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2017" /><ref name="Scherer 2017" /> In 2017, the Prospect Park Alliance announced plans to restore the garden,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/news/prospect-park-rose-garden-1.18726279|title=What's in store for the Prospect Park rose garden?|date=May 25, 2018|website=am New York|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065655/https://www.amny.com/news/prospect-park-rose-garden-1.18726279|url-status=live}}</ref> and in the meantime, it placed 7,000 pinwheels in an effort to attract visitors.<ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2017" />

To the west, adjacent to the Rose Garden, is another garden called the Vale of Cashmere. The garden was named after [[Thomas Moore]]'s poem "Lalla Rookh",<ref name="Forgotten New York 2005"/><ref name="Scherer 2017" /> which in turn referred to [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmir]] in what was then northern India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/a-designer-of-prospect-park-stepping-out-of-olmsteds-shadow-vaux.html|title=A Designer of Prospect Park Stepping Out of Olmsted's Shadow|last=Gordon|first=David|date=January 27, 1974|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065300/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/a-designer-of-prospect-park-stepping-out-of-olmsteds-shadow-vaux.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Vale of Cashmere was once used frequently by the well-to-do.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/vale-cashmere/|title=The Abandoned Garden of Prospect Park – New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News|date=August 28, 2014|website=WNYC|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065402/https://www.wnyc.org/story/vale-cashmere/|url-status=live}}</ref> It contains a fountain that originally had a sculpture of a nude youth and six turtles in the center, though the sculpture was stolen in 1941.<ref name="Forgotten New York 2005"/> The Vale became overgrown during the 20th century, and its fountain was abandoned. The Vale of Cashmere later became a popular spot for gay [[Cruising for sex|cruising]], as documented in the book ''In the Vale of Cashmere'' by [[Thomas Roma]].<ref name="Scherer 2017" /> The woods around the vale were damaged in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy and were subsequently restored.<ref name="The New York Times 2015" />

The [[Prospect Park Zoo]] occupies a {{convert|12|acre|ha|adj=on}} plot<ref name="ppzvisitbrochure">{{Cite journal|author=Wildlife Conservation Society|date=Summer 2007|title=Prospect Park Zoo (prospectparkzoo.com) Visitor Brochure|version=200/603|publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society}}</ref> slightly south of the Rose Garden across Flatbush Avenue from [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]].<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The zoo was opened in 1935<ref name="Lancaster" /> and has been operated by the [[Wildlife Conservation Society]] since 1980.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/23/archives/citys-3-zoos-to-be-taken-over-by-new-york-zoological-society-citys.html|title=City's 3 Zoos to Be Taken Over By New York Zoological Society; City's Zoos to Be Run by Zoological Society Zoo Was Rebuilt in 1934 $8.3 Million for Central Park|date=April 23, 1980|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201014947/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/23/archives/citys-3-zoos-to-be-taken-over-by-new-york-zoological-society-citys.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2016||alt=As of 2016|df=|lc=|since=}}, Prospect Park Zoo had 864 animals representing 176 species.<ref name="AnnualReport2016">{{cite journal|author=Wildlife Conservation Society|date=December 2016|title=Annual Report 2016|url=http://www.wcs.org/media/file/annual_07.pdf|publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society|page=176 (PDF p. 81)|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512003440/http://www.wcs.org/media/file/annual_07.pdf|archive-date=May 12, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== East side ====
[[File:Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park, 3.JPG|thumb|Eastern facade of the Boathouse on the Lullwater]]
The oldest structure in Prospect Park, the [[Lefferts Historic House]], is located south of the zoo, near the intersection of Ocean Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, and Empire Boulevard.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It was built in 1783 and was originally located near the Willink Hill entrance. The structure was relocated in 1920 to make way for the Willink entrance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/historichouses|title=Prospect Park Historic Houses : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013553/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/facilities/historichouses|url-status=live}}</ref> The house is a [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn|New York City designated landmark]] and operates as a children's museum of Brooklyn family life during the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/arts/another-star-vehicle-has-its-revival.html|title=Another Star Vehicle Has Its Revival|last=Graeber|first=Laurel|date=September 16, 2005|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013326/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/arts/another-star-vehicle-has-its-revival.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Prospect Park Carousel is located immediately west of the Lefferts Historic House.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The carousel contains 53 horses, created by master horse carver [[Charles Carmel]] in 1912, as well as three carvings of other animals and two chariots.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/places-to-go/carousel/|title=Carousel in Prospect Park|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=March 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190316021419/https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/places-to-go/carousel/|url-status=live}}</ref> The carousel opened in October 1952,<ref name="Hanmer 1952" /><ref name="The New York Times 1952" /> superseding another carousel that had burned down over twenty years earlier.<ref name="BDE-Carousels-1952">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/55322531|title=Carousel Promised for Prospect Park|date=April 15, 1952|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=8|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035402/http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/55322531/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was subsequently restored from 1971 to 1974,<ref name="Cadkin 1974" /> and again from 1987 to 1989.<ref name="Martin 1989" /> Prior to the opening of the current carousel, three separate wooden carousels had been built throughout the park's history, and were located in different parts of the park.<ref name="Lancaster" />

The Willink Hill entrance contains the neoclassical Willink Entrance Comfort Station.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The structure opened in 1912 and is designed similarly to the Tennis House.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}}<ref name="Lancaster" />

Further south of the Willink entrance is the [[Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|Boathouse on the Lullwater]], on the Lullwater's eastern shore.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Built in 1905–1907, it was the first structure in the park built by McKim, Mead and White, and was also constructed in the neoclassical style.<ref name="Tate 2015 p. 220" />{{Rp|130}} After being saved from destruction in 1964,<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Scherer 2017">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/maps/prospect-park-brooklyn-things-to-do|title=15 hidden gems of Prospect Park|last=Scherer|first=Jenna|date=August 10, 2017|website=Curbed NY|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065235/https://ny.curbed.com/maps/prospect-park-brooklyn-things-to-do|url-status=live}}</ref> it was listed on the NRHP in 1972.<ref>{{NRISref|2008a|name=Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park|refnum=72000850|access-date=January 31, 2019|dateform=mdy}}</ref>

[[File:Prospect Park Oriental Pavilion Golden Hour 2.jpg|left|thumb|A path leading to the Oriental Pavilion]]

South of the Boathouse, past the Cleft Ridge Arch, is the [[Concert Grove]], located on the northeast edge of the Lake.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Originally built in 1847,<ref name="NYCgo.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgo.com/arts-culture/prospect-park-concert-grove|title=Prospect Park Concert Grove|website=NYCgo.com|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201070846/https://www.nycgo.com/arts-culture/prospect-park-concert-grove|url-status=live}}</ref> it was designed so park patrons could hear music being played on the later-demolished Music Island. The grove's style complements that of the [[Central Park Mall]] but was laid out radially.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The grove also contains busts of classical composers.<ref name="Scherer 2017" /> A statue of Abraham Lincoln is located at the Concert Grove.<ref name="NYCParksLincoln"/> In the middle of the grove is the Concert Grove Pavilion, also known as the Oriental Pavilion, measuring {{Convert|40|by|80|ft|m|abbr=}} with a roof and columns in a Middle Eastern or Indian style;<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Scherer 2017" /> it formerly served as a restaurant but has since fallen into disrepair.<ref name="The New York Times 2015" /><ref name="NYCgo.com" /> In 2021, the Concert Grove Pavilion was restored.<ref name="Rahmanan 2021">{{cite web|last=Rahmanan|first=Anna|title=The concert pavilion in Prospect Park has reopened after seven years|website=Time Out New York|date=April 9, 2021|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-concert-pavilion-in-prospect-park-has-reopened-after-seven-years-040921|access-date=August 1, 2021|archive-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901120252/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-concert-pavilion-in-prospect-park-has-reopened-after-seven-years-040921|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Verde 2021">{{cite web|last=Verde|first=Ben|title=Restored Concert Grove Pavilion in Prospect Park reopens after six-year closure|website=Brooklyn Paper|date=April 7, 2021|url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/concert-grove-pavilion-reopens-prospect-park-april-2021/|access-date=August 1, 2021|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616231725/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/concert-grove-pavilion-reopens-prospect-park-april-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside is located immediately south of the Concert Grove.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It was completed in December 2013 and replaces the former Wollman Rink.<ref name="NYC.gov-Lakeside-2013"/><ref name="NYTimes-Lakeside-2013"/> The multipurpose, year-round facility is used for ice-skating, boating, biking, and roller-skating, as well as winter sports such as [[ice hockey|hockey]] and [[curling]].<ref name="NYTimes-EnjoyPP-2018"/><ref name="PP-LeFrak"/> The LeFrak Center accommodates over 200,000 visitors annually.<ref name="Lakeside" />

==== Nethermead and Lookout Hill ====
[[File:Music Pagoda in Prospect Park (81543p).jpg|thumb|Rebuilt Music Pagoda]]

The Music Pagoda is located in the Nethermead, on the east side of the park along the watercourse's west shore.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> The original pagoda, built in 1887, was a wooden structure with an octagonal roof and a stone base. It replaced a "temporary" music stand near the Lullwood.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The Music Pagoda was used for concerts until it burned down in 1968. The current pagoda on the site is a re-creation of the original, built in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2015/10/music-pagoda-prospect-park-2/|title=MUSIC PAGODA, Prospect Park|date=October 30, 2015|website=Forgotten New York|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180246/https://forgotten-ny.com/2015/10/music-pagoda-prospect-park-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Well House}}The Well House is located on the northern shore of the Lake, abutting the southern slope of Lookout Hill on the southwestern side of Prospect Park.<ref name="Forgotten New York 2005" /><ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> It was the last structure in the park to be built by Olmsted and Vaux, having been built in 1869. It was made of gray stone and brick, and featured a [[hip roof]] and a doorway inside a [[Four-centred arch|Tudor arch]]. The house initially contained machinery that powered Prospect Park's watercourse, and at one point, pumped {{Convert|750,000|gal|L|sp=us|abbr=off}} of water into the watercourse each day.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The water from the Well House was drawn from a {{Convert|70|ft|m|-deep|abbr=|adj=mid}} [[well]], which led to the Brooklyn Aquifer.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /><ref name="Brooklyn Paper 2011" /> Originally, there was a {{Convert|60|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} smokestack behind the Well House, as well as a [[cistern]] in front of the building.<ref name="Kadinsky20162" /><ref name="Vries 2018" /> The machines became obsolete in the early 20th century when Prospect Park was connected to [[New York City water supply system|New York City's municipal water system]].<ref name="Warerkar 2017" /><ref name="Vries 2018" />  Subsequently, the tower was demolished and the cistern was filled in.<ref name="Vries 2018" /> In 2017, the Well House was restored and turned into a composting restroom.<ref name="Spectrum News NY1 {{pipe}} New York City 2017" /><ref name="Warerkar 2017" />

==== South side ====
[[File:The Peristyle.JPG|thumb|The Peristyle]]
The [[Grecian Shelter|Prospect Park Peristyle]], also known as the Grecian Shelter or Croquet Shelter, is located on the southwest corner of the park, south of the Lake.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> Constructed by McKim, Mead and White in 1905, this [[peristyle]] was built on the site of the 1860s-era Promenade Drive Shelter. The Prospect Park Peristyle is actually designed in the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance architectural style]] and consists of a rectangular [[colonnade]] with [[Corinthian order|Corinthian columns]].<ref name="Lancaster" /> It was rehabilitated in 1966 and listed on the NRHP in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/building-of-the-day-prospect-park-peristyle/|title=Building of the Day: Prospect Park Peristyle|last=Spellen|first=Suzanne|date=May 1, 2012|website=Brownstoner|access-date=February 2, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095434/https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/building-of-the-day-prospect-park-peristyle/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Former structures ===
[[File:DairyFarmhouseProspectParkBrooklyn.jpg|thumb|The Dairy, {{Circa}} 1870|alt=The Dairy Cottage, seen circa 1870]]
The Dairy Cottage, or "the Dairy", was located near Boulder Bridge west of the zoo. It was a two-story stone [[cottage]] with two [[gable]]d wings; a public room and women's quarters on the first floor; and a single residence on the second floor.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The Dairy was built in 1869 or 1871 to sell fresh [[milk]] and other light refreshments to the public; [[the Dairy|a similar building]] was also built in Central Park. At the time, [[sheep]] and [[Cattle|cows]] were allowed to pasture on the meadows of Prospect Park, and seven cows were purchased specifically to provide milk. However, according to the ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', news articles after 1879 do not make a mention of the Dairy providing milk.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/27868005/|title=Park Once Operated Own Dairy Business|date=May 1, 1932|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=January 31, 2019|page=16|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041810/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-park-once-opera/27868005/|url-status=live}}</ref> The cottage later became part of the Menagerie, the precursor to the modern-day zoo, and was encircled by several other zoo buildings to its north and east. All of these buildings were demolished in 1935 when the zoo was built.<ref name="Lancaster" />

There were two unusual structures built in Prospect Park in its early years. The first was a [[camera obscura]] booth located on Breeze Hill's western slope, at the east end of the park, built in the early 1880s.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2005" /> The second was the Circular Yacht or Rotary Yacht, a floating [[carousel]] with yacht-shaped vehicles. Located near the Long Meadow, the Circular Yacht was constructed by inventor David Smith in 1878 and could hold up to 220 people at once.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-parks-bizarre-rotary-yacht/|title=Prospect Park's Bizarre Bygone Attraction|date=October 17, 2018|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 7, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124301/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/prospect-parks-bizarre-rotary-yacht/|url-status=live}}</ref> These structures were both demolished before the 1900s, and the camera obscura later became the site of the now-demolished Old Fashioned Flower Garden.<ref name="am New York 2014" /><ref name="Lancaster" />

The park contained a Music Island near the east shore of the Lake.<ref name="Lancaster" /> The island was used by musicians who were performing for audiences in the nearby Concert Grove. It was demolished in 1960 to make way for the Wollman Rink. Following the rink's demolition in the early 2010s,<ref name="Pollak 2011" /> a replica of the island was constructed, and it opened in 2012.<ref name="Dunlap 2012" /><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 2012" /> Across the Lake, two structures were built on the peninsula in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Model Yacht Club House, built on the south side of the peninsula in 1900, was an octagonal wood-frame clubhouse that burned down in a fire in 1956. On the opposite or northern side of the peninsula, there was another shelter, similar in design to the Concert Grove Pavilion, which lasted from 1915 to around the 1940s.<ref name="Lancaster" /><ref name="Forgotten New York 2005" />

On the west side of Prospect Park, there was a conservatory on the Long Meadow. It consisted of sixteen greenhouses located near Seventh Street and Prospect Park West.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28451051/|title=Prospect Park to Get Only Flower Shows|date=January 3, 1939|work=New York Daily News|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=275|via=Newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041709/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-prospect-park-to-get-only-flo/28451051/|url-status=live}}</ref> Though it was a popular visitor attraction, it was supplanted by the [[Brooklyn Botanic Garden]] past the park's eastern edge. The conservatory's greenhouses were renovated in 1929–1930, but the cost of upkeep soon became exorbitant.<ref name="Lancaster" /> In 1955, the greenhouses were considered redundant and were demolished. At that point, the conservatory's main attraction was an annual Easter flower show.<ref name="Green">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/03/23/archives/city-to-discard-17-greenhouses-75yearold-structures-in-prospect.html|title=City to Discard 17 Greenhouses|date=May 23, 1955|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003141/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/03/23/archives/city-to-discard-17-greenhouses-75yearold-structures-in-prospect.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28451146/|title=Cashmore OKd End of Greenhouses|first=David|last=Gordon|date=March 24, 1955|work=New York Daily News|access-date=February 14, 2019|page=97|via=Newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041710/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-cashmore-okd-end-of-greenhous/28451146/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Recreation ==
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|total_width=250
|image1=Prospect Park Brooklyn Feb 2019 48.jpg|caption1=LeFrak Center at Lakeside
|image2=Parade Grounds td (2018-04-18) 10.jpg|caption2=Entrance to the Parade Ground
}}

There are numerous sports hosted in Prospect Park, and specialized facilities exist for several sports. Seven baseball fields are located in the Long Meadow between 9th and 15th Streets. Two are [[Major League Baseball|major league]]-sized fields serving older age groups, while the other five are slightly smaller and intended for younger children, typically 8–12 years old.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /> In the winter, ice skating, [[cross-country skiing]], [[figure skating]], [[curling]], [[ice hockey|hockey]], and [[tennis]] are provided in the LeFrak Center at Lakeside.<ref name="PP-LeFrak">{{cite web|title=LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park|website=Prospect Park|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/places-to-go/lefrak-center-lakeside/|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035541/https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/places-to-go/lefrak-center-lakeside/|url-status=live}}</ref> The LeFrak Center also accommodates boating and biking.<ref name="NYTimes-EnjoyPP-2018"/> The [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)#Parade Ground|Parade Ground]] also contains a variety of fields for several sports.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939"/>

Runners also use the trails and drives of Prospect Park. The pedestrian lanes of East Drive and West Drive form an {{Convert|3.36|mi|km|-long|abbr=|adj=mid}} paved loop.<ref name=running>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/running-walking/|title=Running and Walking – Prospect Park Alliance|website=Prospect Park|access-date=March 16, 2024|archive-date=December 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211085127/https://www.prospectpark.org/visit-the-park/things-to-do/running-walking/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Prospect Park Track Club, formed in 1970,<ref name=running/> organizes regular training runs and races in and around the park.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bloom|first=Marc|date=1998-10-30|title=Weekend Warrior; The Hills Are Alive (or Just Lively) for Runners Who Prefer Soft Trails to Punishing Pavement|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/30/arts/weekend-warrior-hills-are-alive-just-lively-for-runners-who-prefer-soft-trails.html|access-date=2024-03-16|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Reporting over 2,000 members, Prospect Park Track Club records itself as one of the largest running clubs in Brooklyn {{As of|2023|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pptc.org/history|title=Club History – Prospect Park Track Club|website=Prospect Park Track Club|access-date=March 16, 2024|archive-date=December 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204143014/https://pptc.org/history|url-status=live}}</ref> Organizations including [[NYCRUNS]] and the [[New York Road Runners]] also host [[road running]] races in the park.<ref name=running/> This includes the [[New York City Half Marathon]] which, since 2018, has been run from Prospect Park to Central Park.<ref name="nyrr_course_change">{{cite web|url=http://www.nyrr.org/media-center/press-releases/new-york-road-runners-introduces-iconic-new-course-and-expanded-field-for-2018-united-airlines-nyc-half-set-for-sunday-march-18?sf120368120=1|title=New York Road Runners Introduces Iconic New Course and Expanded Field for 2018 United Airlines NYC Half, Set for Sunday, March 18|year=2017|publisher=New York Road Runners|access-date=October 9, 2017}}</ref> NYCRUNS's [[Brooklyn Marathon]] was first hosted in 2011, with a course that initially consisted of eight laps around Prospect Park;<ref>{{Cite news|last=Futterman|first=Matthew|date=2021-06-16|title=New York City Gets Another Major Marathon, in Brooklyn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/sports/new-york-marathon-brooklyn.html|access-date=2024-03-16|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> in 2022, the marathon adopted a new course that crossed Brooklyn and passed through the park.<ref name="Lynch 2022 s750">{{cite web|last=Lynch|first=Scott|title=Scenes from the Brooklyn Marathon and Brooklyn Half|website=Brooklyn Magazine|date=April 25, 2022|url=https://www.bkmag.com/2022/04/25/scenes-from-the-brooklyn-marathon/|access-date=March 16, 2024}}</ref>

Other sports are also played in Prospect Park. The Prospect Park Women's Softball League has been playing [[softball]] games on summer evenings in Prospect Park since 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ppwsl.org/|title=Prospect Park Women's Softball League – Women's Softball in Prospect Park Since 1973|website=www.ppwsl.org|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-date=March 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321131856/http://www.ppwsl.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Circle rules football]] is also played seasonally inside the park.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Circle Rules Football: Experimental Theater Meets Sports|magazine=WIRED|date=May 13, 2011|url=https://www.wired.com/2011/05/circle-rules-football/|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024160726/https://www.wired.com/2011/05/circle-rules-football/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the 1930s, the nearby [[Kensington Stables]] has hosted horse-riding lessons in Prospect Park.<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Rachel Holliday|title=Kensington Stables Owner Accepts City Buyout at Prospect Park Horse Barn|website=DNAinfo New York|date=July 5, 2017|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170705/kensington/kensington-stables-city-offer-buyout-horse-rides-prospect-park|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153223/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170705/kensington/kensington-stables-city-offer-buyout-horse-rides-prospect-park/|archive-date=February 16, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pedalboating is also open to the public on the lake.<ref name="PP-Pedalboats"/> Prospect Park's rolling hills also accommodate [[sledding]] during the winters.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sledding in Parks : NYC Parks|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|date=June 26, 1939|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/places-to-go/sledding|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035219/https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/places-to-go/sledding|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top Sledding Spots in Prospect Park|website=Prospect Park|date=January 22, 2019|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/top-sledding-spots-prospect-park/|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-date=February 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153104/https://www.prospectpark.org/news-events/news/top-sledding-spots-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Bandshell hosts frequent concerts, most notably the "[[Celebrate Brooklyn!]]" Performing Arts Festival, a series of summer concerts founded in 1979 that draws performing artists from around the world. The festival is produced by [[BRIC (nonprofit organization)|BRIC Arts Media Bklyn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.briconline.org/celebrate/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030903173157/http://www.briconline.org/celebrate/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2003|title=Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival|website=briconline.org|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref>

=== Parade Ground ===
<!-- Note: [[Flatbush, Brooklyn]] links to this section-->The site of the present-day Parade Ground, at Prospect Park's southwest corner, was first proposed in 1866 and was to be used for training militia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/50391815/|title=Our Albany Correspondence; An Important Question to Tax-payers|date=March 14, 1866|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=February 12, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213011050/https://www.newspapers.com/image/50391815/|url-status=live}}</ref> The state approved the acquisition of a {{Convert|40|acre|0|abbr=|adj=on}} rectangular area just south of Parkside Avenue and handed control of the plot to the Prospect Park commissioners.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dstDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA236|title=Annual Reports of the Brooklyn Park Commissioners, 1861–1873: Reprinted by Order of the Board, with Such Acts of the Legislature in Their Amended Form, as Relate to the Brooklyn Parks, and Their Management|last=Brooklyn (New York, N. Y. ) Park Commissioners|date=1873|pages=236|language=en|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041807/https://books.google.com/books?id=dstDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA236#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The Parade Ground was designated to be used for sports and military drills. It was set apart from the main section of the park in fear that the high level of activity would damage the grass and plants and disrupt the park's pastoral feel. Initially, the Parade Ground contained a long, wood-frame building, which included a two-story pavilion for officers' quarters, as well as a restroom to the south and a guard room to the north.<ref name="Lancaster" /> Other uses included a gathering on June 15, 1927, when the Parade Ground attracted over 200,000 people to greet pioneering aviator [[Charles Lindbergh]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59851774/|title=Huge Brooklyn Crowds Hail Lindbergh|date=June 6, 1927|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=August 28, 2019|page=1|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=August 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829010408/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59851774/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forgotten-ny.com/2018/06/parade-ground-flatbush/|title=PARADE GROUND, Flatbush|last=Walsh|first=Kevin|date=June 13, 2018|website=Forgotten New York|language=en-US|access-date=August 29, 2019|archive-date=August 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829003448/https://forgotten-ny.com/2018/06/parade-ground-flatbush/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The militia no longer use the Parade Ground, but the plot is still an active athletic complex.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/parade-ground/history|title=Parade Ground Highlights : NYC Parks|date=June 26, 1939|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129064140/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/parade-ground/history|url-status=live}}</ref> In its present form, the Parade Ground has fifteen numbered courts and fields, used for soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball.<ref name="Prospect Park Alliance 2018" /><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939" /> They encompass the Prospect Park Tennis Center, four baseball diamonds, two softball fields, a football field, a soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, the Paul Ricard [[Pétanque]] Court and three giant multi-use fields.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939" /> The Stewart Playground is also on the east side of the Parade Ground.<ref>{{cite web|title=Detective Dillon Stewart Playground : NYC Parks|website=Prospect Park Highlights|date=June 26, 1939|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/19704|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305225658/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/B073/highlights/19704|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many Major League Baseball stars got their start at the Parade Ground, including Joe Torre and [[Sandy Koufax]].<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939" /> In 2003, the Parade Ground had a [[netball]] court installed next to the basketball courts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brooklynhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/BBNH_CaseStudyFolders.pdf|title=Bats, Balls, Nets & Hoops {{!}} Stories of sports in Brooklyn|access-date=October 21, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308173348/https://www.brooklynhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/BBNH_CaseStudyFolders.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The next year, the Parade Ground underwent a $12.4 million restoration.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939" /> The netball court was replaced by an outdoor adult fitness center in 2019, due to a lack of use,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bklyner.com/new-adult-fitness-area-opens-in-prospect-park/|title=New Adult Fitness Area Opens In Prospect Park|last=Wong|first=Pamela|date=May 6, 2019|website=BKLYNER|language=en-US|access-date=October 21, 2019|archive-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509063945/https://bklyner.com/new-adult-fitness-area-opens-in-prospect-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> and a dog run in the Parade Ground opened in 2020.<ref name=bhr20200707/>

{{wide image|Lullwater south from Binnen-Bridge Prospect Park.jpg|600px|Boathouse at the Lullwater}}

== Management ==
A [[nonprofit organization]] called Prospect Park Alliance manages Prospect Park, while NYC Parks owns and operates the land and facilities. The Alliance's responsibilities include maintaining and restoring natural and recreational areas, as well as providing educational and cultural programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/what-we-do/|title=About the Alliance|date=January 22, 2019|website=Prospect Park|access-date=February 16, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217084925/https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/what-we-do/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, the Alliance had [[Net worth|net assets]] ([[Equity (finance)|own equity]]) of about $37.2 million and [[Liability (financial accounting)|liabilities]] of $3.1 million, which amounted to total [[asset]]s of $40.3 million. Net assets increased $5.9 million from the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prospectpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FY22-Audited-Financial-Statements.pdf|title=Financial Statement for the Year Ending June 30, 2022|date=June 30, 2022|website=Prospect Park Alliance|pages=4–5|access-date=February 16, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312033518/https://www.prospectpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FY22-Audited-Financial-Statements.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Prior to the Prospect Park Alliance's founding, there was no private maintenance of the park. The Alliance was created in April 1987<ref name="NYTimes-PPA-Creation-1987" /> after the city had spent $10 million in federal funds to renovate the park in the early 1980s.<ref name="Laskow 2014" /> The Alliance subsequently started new programs to reach out to the surrounding communities, and its renovation programs caused housing prices in the area to increase by the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/01/nyregion/a-critical-tour-of-the-empire-battery-park-to-high-bridge.html|title=A Critical Tour of the Empire: Battery Park to High Bridge|date=May 1, 1994|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 11, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928104808/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/01/nyregion/a-critical-tour-of-the-empire-battery-park-to-high-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Transportation ==
[[File:Prospect Park entrance 4 vc.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the [[Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)|Prospect Park]] station]]

There are four [[New York City Subway]] stations that directly serve the park.<ref>{{NYCS const|map}}</ref> The eastern side of Prospect Park is served by [[Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)|the park's eponymous station]] ({{NYCS trains|Prospect Park}}) and the [[Parkside Avenue (BMT Brighton Line)|Parkside Avenue]] station ({{NYCS trains|Brighton local|time=nolink}}). The western side is served by [[15th Street–Prospect Park (IND Culver Line)|15th Street–Prospect Park]] ({{NYCS trains|Culver IND north}}). Grand Army Plaza is served by the {{NYCS trains|Eastern west local header}} at [[Grand Army Plaza (IRT Eastern Parkway Line)|the plaza's eponymous station]].<ref name="Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2018">{{Cite NYCS map|neighborhood|Park Slope}}</ref> Bus service is provided on the western side by the {{NYC bus link|B61|B67|B69|prose=y}} buses, the southwestern side by the {{NYC bus link|B68}} bus; the eastern side by the {{NYC bus link|B16|B41|B43|B48|prose=y}} buses; and the southern side by the B16 bus.<ref name="Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2018" /><ref>{{Cite NYC bus map|B}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===Animals===
During the 1970s, there were multiple incidents involving animal injuries or deaths at the Prospect Park Zoo. This included the scalding death of a monkey in 1975, allegedly by a zoo employee, as well as an acting zoo director who was accused of shooting at pigeons and killing zoo animals.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Zoo Story: Part Two|first=Roger|last=Parloff|work=New York Magazine|publisher=New York Media, LLC|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctECAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|date=May 7, 1979|language=en|access-date=February 20, 2019|page=62|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041708/https://books.google.com/books?id=ctECAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fowler 1976"/> A zoo employee also locked himself in a monkey enclosure for several hours in 1974 to protest the deaths of ten animals.<ref name="Fowler 1976"/><ref>{{cite news|title=It's A Jungle in Here|first=Tad|last=Friend|date=April 24, 1995|work=New York Magazine|publisher=New York Media, LLC|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-UCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48|language=en|access-date=February 20, 2019|page=48|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124041811/https://books.google.com/books?id=C-UCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> These incidents, as well as several others at the [[Central Park Zoo]], prompted protests by animal-rights groups who wanted to close the two zoos and move the animals to the larger [[Bronx Zoo]].<ref name="Fowler 1976">{{cite web|last=Fowler|first=Glenn|title=Prospect Park Zoo Head Accused of Killing Animals|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|date=April 1, 1976|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/01/archives/prospect-park-zoo-head-accused-of-killing-animals.html|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221000637/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/01/archives/prospect-park-zoo-head-accused-of-killing-animals.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This directly led to the Wildlife Conservation Society's takeover of the Prospect Park Zoo in 1980.<ref name="NYZooTakeOver"/>

In May 1987, an 11-year-old boy climbed into the [[polar bear]] enclosure after hours at the Prospect Park Zoo and was subsequently mauled by two of the bears; both bears were then fatally shot by police officers. The incident contributed to the Wildlife Conservation Society's decision to redesign the zoo to emphasize species more appropriate to its small size and to visitor interactions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Polar Bears Kill a Child at the Prospect Park Zoo|first=James|last=Barron|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/20/nyregion/polar-bears-kill-a-child-at-prospect-park-zoo.html|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=May 20, 1987|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429224044/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/20/nyregion/polar-bears-kill-a-child-at-prospect-park-zoo.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2010, federal authorities captured 400 [[Canada geese]] in the park and gassed them to death due to [[air safety]] concerns brought up after the emergency landing of [[US Airways Flight 1549]] in January 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=400 Park Geese Die, for Human Fliers' Sake|first=Isolde|last=Raftery|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/nyregion/13geese.html|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=July 12, 2010|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429224102/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/nyregion/13geese.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Crimes and deaths===
Several murders have occurred in Prospect Park during its history.  In August 1975, a 15-year-old recent graduate of Ditmas Junior High School, was strangled with a belt in a wooded area of the Vale of Cashmere.<ref>{{cite news|title=Body of a Girl, 15, is Found in Park|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|work=The New York Times|date=August 10, 1975|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/10/archives/body-of-a-girl-15-is-found-in-park-victim-a-student-at-junio-high.html|access-date=July 17, 2019|archive-date=July 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717212945/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/10/archives/body-of-a-girl-15-is-found-in-park-victim-a-student-at-junio-high.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  In June 1993, a 42-year-old man was shot to death while resisting a group of teenagers trying to steal his bicycle; the shooter received a maximum 25-year prison term.<ref>{{cite news|title=Maximum Term Imposed in Killing Over Bike|first=Joseph P.|last=Fried|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/26/nyregion/maximum-term-imposed-in-killing-over-bike.html|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|work=The New York Times|date=May 26, 1994|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=July 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715102321/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/26/nyregion/maximum-term-imposed-in-killing-over-bike.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2006, a 61-year-old man was found stabbed to death in the Vale of Cashmere.<ref>{{cite news|title=An Avid Walker, 61, Is Stabbed to Death in Prospect Park|first1=Andrew|last1=Jacobs|first2=Ann|last2=Farmer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/nyregion/24stabbing.html|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|work=The New York Times|date=April 24, 2006|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429224039/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/nyregion/24stabbing.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A 41-year-old homeless man was found beaten to death in a wooded area near a jogging path two years later, in June 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prospect Park slay victim identified|first1=Paul|last1=Mcnamara|first2=Jonathan|last2=Lemire|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/07/31/2008-07-31_prospect_park_slay_victim_identified.html|newspaper=Daily News|date=July 31, 2008|access-date=January 25, 2011}}</ref> A 23-year-old man was fatally shot at the Parade Ground in March 2011, having recently been jailed on charges of being an accomplice in another man's murder.<ref>{{cite news|title=Man Facing Homicide Charge Is Shot Dead in Brooklyn|first=Joseph|last=Goldstein|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/nyregion/25ems.html|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|work=The New York Times|date=March 24, 2011|access-date=April 4, 2011|archive-date=October 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002204318/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/nyregion/25ems.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other incidents have included the April 2018 suicide of lawyer and environmental activist [[David Buckel]], who [[self-immolation|lit himself on fire]] to protest the use of [[fossil fuel]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prominent gay rights' attorney dead after apparent self-immolation, police say|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-buckel-dead-gay-rights-lawyer-apparent-burned-himself-to-death-police/|access-date=April 15, 2018|work=CBS News|date=April 15, 2018|archive-date=April 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415053100/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-buckel-dead-gay-rights-lawyer-apparent-burned-himself-to-death-police/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ring|first1=Trudy|title=Former Lambda Legal Lawyer David Buckel Dies After Self-Immolation|url=https://www.advocate.com/society/2018/4/14/former-lambda-legal-lawyer-david-buckel-dies-after-self-immolation|access-date=April 15, 2018|publisher=The Advocate|date=April 15, 2018|archive-date=April 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415072212/https://www.advocate.com/society/2018/4/14/former-lambda-legal-lawyer-david-buckel-dies-after-self-immolation|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of New York City scenic landmarks]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn]]
* [[List of parks in New York City]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Brooklyn]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Prospect Park}}
{{Wikivoyage|Brooklyn/Prospect Park}}
* [http://www.prospectpark.org Prospect Park Alliance]
* [http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?num=0&word=Prospect%20Park%2C%20Brooklyn&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=12&pNum=1 1870–1880 views of Prospect Park, from the Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, New York Public Library]

{{Protected areas of New York City}}
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Brooklyn}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Prospect Park (Brooklyn)| ]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Calvert Vaux designs]]
[[Category:Flatbush, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Greenways in New York City]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Nature centers in New York City]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:New York City scenic landmarks]]
[[Category:Park Slope]]
[[Category:Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1867]]