 Near New York Avenue in Crown Heights | |
 | |
| Former name(s) | Sackett Street |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Length | 4.2 mi (6.8 km)[1] |
| Width | 70 to 200 feet (21 to 61 m) |
| Restrictions | No commercial vehicles west of Ralph Avenue (excluding service roads) |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York |
| Postal code | 11207, 11213, 11216, 11225, 11233, 11238 |
| West end | Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights |
| East end | Bushwick Avenue in Bushwick |
Eastern Parkway | |
New York City Landmark No. 0998
| |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York City |
| Area | 63.69 acres (25.77 ha) |
| Built | 1870–1874 |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted; Calvert Vaux |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001689[2] |
| NYCL No. | 0998 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 26, 1983 |
| Designated NYCL | August 22, 1978 |
Eastern Parkway is a major east–west boulevard in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it was built between 1870 and 1874 and has been credited as the world's first parkway. At the time of its construction, Eastern Parkway went to the eastern edge of Brooklyn, hence its name.
The road begins at Grand Army Plaza (the main entrance to Prospect Park) and extends east to Ralph Avenue, along the crest of the moraine that separates northern from southern Long Island. This section runs parallel to Atlantic Avenue and is aligned with the Crown Heights street grid. East of Ralph Avenue, it turns to the northeast, still following the moraine, until it terminates at Bushwick Avenue near the Evergreen Cemetery, where the moraine climbs steeply toward a peak at Ridgewood Reservoir. The initial portion of Eastern Parkway, west of Ralph Avenue, contains landscaped medians and is officially called by that name. The part east of Ralph Avenue is narrower and is officially known as Eastern Parkway Extension.
Eastern Parkway was built with the expectation that it would be the centerpiece of a neighborhood with "first-class" housing. Ultimately, the resulting development encompassed a variety of building styles including single-family homes, mansions, and apartment buildings. The parkway extension east of Ralph Avenue was built in the late 1890s. The neighborhoods around the parkway developed into a "Doctor's Row" in the late 19th century, and further settlement occurred with the opening of the New York City Subway's Eastern Parkway Line in 1920. The section of Eastern Parkway west of Ralph Avenue is a New York City scenic landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
www.nycgovparks.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.