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Bayswater Point State Park

Coordinates:40°37′N73°46′W/ 40.61°N 73.77°W/40.61; -73.77
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Bayswater Point State Park
View from park
Bayswater Point State Park is located in New York City
Bayswater Point State Park
Location of Bayswater Point State Park
Bayswater Point State Park is located in New York
Bayswater Point State Park
Bayswater Point State Park (New York)
Bayswater Point State Park is located in the United States
Bayswater Point State Park
Bayswater Point State Park (the United States)
TypeState park
Location1479 Point Breeze Place
Far Rockaway, New York[1]
Nearest cityQueens, New York
Coordinates40°37′N73°46′W/ 40.61°N 73.77°W/40.61; -73.77
Area17 acres (0.069 km2)[2]
Created1991(1991)
Operated byNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors12,620 (in 2020)[3]
OpenAll year
WebsiteBayswater Point State Park

Bayswater Point State Parkis a 17-acre (0.069 km2)state parklocated onJamaica BayinQueens,New York.The park is located at the western end of Mott Avenue inBayswaternearFar Rockawayand is built on land that once housed the mansion and estate of banker Louis A. Heinsheimer.

History[edit]

The site of Bayswater Point State Park once contained Breezy Point, an expansive mansion built in 1907 by New York City banker Louis A. Heinsheimer. In 1925, the mansion was converted into a home for disabled children, and it was later used as a home for children withintellectual disabilitiesbefore being placed for sale in the late 1980s.[4]

A 12-acre (0.049 km2) parcel that was to become Bayswater Point State Park was purchased by theTrust for Public Landin 1986. The mansion, which by that point had been damaged by fire, was demolished in 1987 prior to the land being given to New York State in 1988; only theconservatorywas left standing.[4]

New York State designated the land as a state park in 1991, and gaveNew York City Audubonadministrative duties over the park.[5]Between 1994 and 1996, the Audubon Society conducted a research and restoration project at Bayswater Point, seeking to engage the public with the land's conservation.[6]

In early May 2010, the park was briefly closed to the public as a result of budget cuts, along with 57 additional state parks and historic sites.[7]However, by month's end an agreement had been reached to re-open many of the parks, including Bayswater Point.[8]In 2015, an $80,000 improvement project to stabilize Sunset Lodge at the park was announced.[9]

Usage[edit]

Beach at park

Bayswater Point State Park was established in order to preserve important habitat for migratory birds in Jamaica Bay. The park also protects habitat for butterflies such as theDelaware skipper,and its beach is used byhorseshoe crabsduring their annual mating season.[7]As such, the park is largely undeveloped, and primarily offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, birdwatching, and fishing.[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation."Bayswater Point State Park - Getting There".Nysparks.RetrievedJune 24,2015.
  2. ^"Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation".2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook.The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. Table O-9. Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 31,2016.
  3. ^"State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003".Data.ny.gov.RetrievedMarch 22,2021.
  4. ^abChristopher Gray (August 4, 1996)."Limestone Shell Evokes Far Rockaway's Gatsby Era".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 25,2015.
  5. ^Jackson, Kenneth T.,ed. (2010).The Encyclopedia of New York City(2nd ed.). New Haven:Yale University Press.p. 540.ISBN978-0-300-11465-2.
  6. ^Fowle, Marcia T.; Kerlinger, Paul (2001).The New York City Audubon Society Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area.Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Pub. Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. p. 229.ISBN0801485657.RetrievedJune 26,2015.
  7. ^abNewman, Andy (May 17, 2010)."Farewell to Bayswater Point".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 17,2010.
  8. ^Andy Newman (May 27, 2010)."Deal Reached to Reopen Closed State Parks".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 25,2015.
  9. ^Joseph Spector (April 21, 2015)."NY parks to get $72M in upgrades".The Journal News.RetrievedJune 25,2015.
  10. ^NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation."Bayswater Point State Park".Nysparks.RetrievedJune 25,2015.

External links[edit]