Herbert Von King Park is an urban park in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. It was one the first parks established in Brooklyn, from land originally acquired in 1857. The park was originally named Tompkins Park, after former New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins, and was renamed in 1985 in honor of Herbert Von King, a longtime local community organizer who was nicknamed the "mayor of Bedford–Stuyvesant". The park is bounded on the north by Lafayette Avenue, to the east by Tompkins Avenue, to the south by Greene Avenue, and to the west by Marcy Avenue.

The park contains a ballfield, a playground, and the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center, the latter of which opened in 1973. The facility also has the Almira Kennedy Coursey Amphitheatre, named after a longtime advocate for the facility's construction.

Description
Herbert Von King Park is located in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City; it is bounded to the north by Lafayette Avenue, to the east by Tompkins Avenue, to the south by Greene Avenue, and to the west by Marcy Avenue. Its total size is .

The park contains a baseball field, playground, and barbecue areas, in addition to the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center, which holds classes and events.

History

The Lenape indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands were the first inhabitants in what is now the New York City metropolitan area. In 1694, Jeremias Remsen purchased a farm in the Wallabout section of Kings County, which later represented the borders of Brooklyn. In 1777, a childless descendant of Remsen's, Jeremiah Remsen, died and left his estate to Barent Johnson, a Kings County land owner married to Anna Remsen. Johnson and Remsen's son Jeremiah Johnson was born in 1777, worked as mayor of Brooklyn from 1837 to 1838, and died in 1852. Jeremiah's grandson, Tunis Johnson, was one of the largest landowners in King's County by the time of his death in 1912. In 1857, part of Tunis's family estate was condemned and acquired by Brooklyn later to become one of the first parks of the city. 

In 1871, Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted – architects for Central and Prospect parks – submitted a plan for a public space, using the land acquired by the city fourteen years earlier. The land was originally named Tompkins Park, after former New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins. The original design did not include any trees or paths, believing they would be used "for clandestine purposes by people of bad character." In 1915, a library and a concert space were both constructed. A playground was added in 1927. In 1963, the Tompkins Park Association formed, led by Almira Kennedy Coursey, with the goal of improving the park and the neighborhood by extension. Coursey described the park as a "catch‐all for junkies and drunks". The library burned down in 1969, and was shut down on March 14 of that year. After years of lobbying from the Tompkins Park Association, a new recreation center was constructed, opening on March 13, 1973. Built at a cost of $1.5 million, the facility contained an outdoor sunken amphitheater, a lounge, an information center, and an indoor theatre named after local musician Eubie Blake. The opening ceremony was attended by mayor John Lindsay and representative Shirley Chisholm.

In 1985, the park was renamed Herbert Von King Park, after a local community activitist who was nicknamed the "mayor of Bedford–Stuyvesant." In 2011, the outdoor amphitheater was named after Almira Kennedy Coursey, who advocated for the facility's construction.

References

External links

Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center

Parks in Brooklyn
Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn