Roy Wilkins Park

About

Roy Wilkins Park, originally known as Southern Queens Park, is a 54-acre (22 ha) park in the St. Albans neighborhood of southeastern Queens in New York City. It is located on an irregular plot of land bounded by 115th and 116th Avenues to the north, 175th Street to the west, Merrick Boulevard to the southwest, Baisley Boulevard to the southeast, and the St. Albans Community Living Center to the east. Roy Wilkins Park contains the Roy Wilkins Recreation Center, a community center with an indoor swimming pool. It also includes various outdoor sporting facilities, a playground, and an artificial pond.

The land, formerly part of the St. Albans Naval Hospital, was given to the New York City government in 1977. Because of the city's financial shortfalls, caused by the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, the land was leased to the Southern Queens Park Association (SQPA), which originally maintained the park. Roy Wilkins Park was named for civil rights activist Roy Wilkins in 1982, and the recreational center opened on the site in 1986. Throughout the years, Roy Wilkins Park has held numerous events and concerts. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation took over control of the park from the SQPA between 2022 and 2025, and a new recreation center was planned during that decade.