Maritcha R. Lyons Park

Maritcha R. Lyons Park sits on land that was originally acquired for the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the mid-twentieth century. The site remained a nameless remnant property for decades following the massive infrastructure project that displaced many local residents. It was first officially designated as Bridge Park One in nineteen ninety-eight before receiving its current name in twenty-twenty. This renaming was part of a citywide initiative to better represent Black history within the public park system. The park now honors a woman who spent nearly five decades as a pioneering educator and civil rights activist in Brooklyn.