✰PREMIUM
Prospect Park Vale restoration groundbreaking sparks excitement, concerns

The Vale is a heavily wooded corner of the park known by few but loved by those in the know. 

The section in question hasn’t been restored in over 50 years. However, despite having fallen into disrepair, it is a haven for birdwatchers, those seeking a quiet retreat and many in New York City’s queer community, especially Black queer men. 

The Vale has long been known as an important cruising area and community gathering site for members of the LGBTQ community since as early as the 1970s.

This restoration represents the city’s most significant capital allocation to the park since the development of the Lakeside complex in 2010.

Conversations about the northeast corner of Prospect Park have been in the works since as early as 2017, when the Prospect Park Alliance began community outreach to develop a restoration plan. Progress was delayed during the pandemic, but in 2021, then-mayor Bill de Blasio allocated $40 million of city funding for its restoration.

Part of the project involves the restoration of three acres of woodlands, building on restoration work undertaken in 2016 and 2017 to help the forest of the Vale recover from massive destruction in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In addition, the historic water feature called the Children’s Pool will be restored for function and bird-friendliness. 

The most significant change will come to the area known as the Rose Garden. The New York Times noted that the name has long been ill-fitting: “There haven’t been any roses in the Rose Garden in Prospect Park in Brooklyn for at least 70 years. And in 18 months, the Rose Garden will be no more.”

In its place, the renovation will create three connected areas with a path woven through to bring the area up to ADA standards: a children’s play area, a planted arbor and pollinator garden, and a lawn and pavilion with bathrooms.