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Parks Dept. celebrates $1.48M transformation of Babi Yar Triangle

Popular Brighton Beach spot named after horrific WWII massacre

June 16, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
A young child enjoys play equipment at the renovated Babi Yar Triangle. Photo by Daniel Avila
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Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher joined Councilmember Inna Vernikov (R-Brighton Beach-Manhattan Beach-Gravesend-Midwood), Brooklyn Community Board 13 District Manager Eddie Mark and community members on Wednesday to cut the ribbon on a $1.48 million complete transformation of Babi Yar Triangle in Brighton Beach.

“Babi Yar Triangle now boasts brand new play equipment, an updated entryway and more greenery to make this park more beautiful and welcoming to all,” said Maher. “We are so grateful to the City Council and Mayor’s Office for investing in this park and recognizing its value to the Brighton Beach community.”

“I was honored to attend yesterday’s ribbon-cutting for Babi Yar Triangle Playground, a park that was named in 1981 to commemorate one of the darkest events of WWII,” said Vernikov. “It is truly heartwarming to know that this renovation will bring vibrancy and joy to this area; while adults and children alike enjoy this updated recreational space.”

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New expanded play areas offer more play value with equipment for kids aged 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, and ADA-inclusive features. New seating, game tables, and water fountains were also installed. The planting design provides seasonal interest throughout the year, with a robust palette of flowering and shade trees, evergreen and deciduous shrubs, and hardy groundcovers.

The Triangle was redesigned to create a stronger sense of layout, circulation, and spatial arrangement. The inlaid Star of David was moved from the center of the park to the southeast corner, which has afternoon sun year-round.

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Martin Maher speaks at the dedication of Brighton Beach’s Babi Yar Triangle. Photo by Daniel Avila

The new design also features a larger and more prominent entrance from the corner, which emphasizes clear sightlines into the park from the intersection of Ocean View Avenue and Corbin Place.

The project was funded with a total of $1.482 million from the City Council ($1.2 million) and Mayor’s Office ($282,000). Construction began in May 2021 and was completed on time in May 2022.

Local Councilmember Inna Yernikov speaks at the Babi Yar Triangle’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Daniel Avila

Babi Yar Triangle was named in 1981 to commemorate one of the darkest events of World War II. On Sept. 29 and 30, 1941, Nazi soldiers massacred 33,711 Jews in the Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev in Ukraine. During the course of the 778 days of Nazi rule in Kiev, the ravine became a mass grave for over 100,000 people.

The park features a seating area with an inlaid Star of David, symbol of the Jewish faith, as well as a bronze plaque that commemorates the massacre.


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