&sq=crain_ford&lang=en&file=File:Ocean_Parkway_jeh.JPG) Ocean Parkway facing north | |
 | |
| Maintained by | New York State Department of Transportation and New York City Department of Transportation |
|---|---|
| Length | 5.5 mi (8.9 km)[1] |
| Restrictions | No commercial vehicles |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York |
| South end | Sea Breeze Avenue / Surf Avenue in Brighton Beach |
| Major junctions |
|
| North end | Machate Circle in Kensington |
Ocean Parkway | |
New York City Landmark No. 0871
| |
| Built | 1873–1876 |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted; Calvert Vaux |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001697[2] |
| NYCL No. | 0871 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 8, 1983[2] |
| Designated NYCL | January 28, 1975[3] |
Ocean Parkway is a boulevard in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it was built between 1874 and 1876. Ocean Parkway runs roughly 5.5 miles (8.9 km) north to south from the intersection with Prospect Park (Machate) Circle, at the southwestern corner of Prospect Park, to the Atlantic Ocean waterfront at Brighton Beach. The 4.86-mile-long (7.82 km) section between Church Avenue and the Atlantic Ocean is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as New York State Route 908H (NY 908H), an unsigned reference route.[4]
In general, Ocean Parkway is 210 feet (64 m) wide and consists of a main roadway, two landscaped medians, and two service roads. The western median contains the United States' first bike lane, which opened in 1894, while the eastern side of the parkway contained a bridle path until the 1970s. Commercial vehicles are prohibited from Ocean Parkway, and there is limited public transit. Much of the original parkway remains intact, but the section north of Church Avenue was replaced with the Prospect Expressway in the 1950s. The section south of Church Avenue is a New York City scenic landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Olmsted and Vaux designed Ocean Parkway, along with Eastern Parkway, in the 1860s to connect Prospect Park with neighborhoods further afield. The section north of Kings Highway was constructed from 1873 to 1874, while the section south of Kings Highway was constructed in 1876. Over the years, a variety of building styles including single-family homes, mansions, and apartment buildings were developed along the parkway. Ocean Parkway was originally a dirt road but has been modified several times over the years. The boulevard first received a macadam pavement in the 1920s and was renovated in the 1970s. Ocean Parkway was one of Brooklyn's most dangerous roads by the 21st century.
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NYCL p. 1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ New York State Department of Transportation (January 2012). Official Description of Highway Touring Routes, Bicycling Touring Routes, Scenic Byways, & Commemorative/Memorial Designations in New York State (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 1, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2012.