page_title: Jacob Riis Park
section_title: Expansion under Robert Moses
hierarchical_section_title: Jacob Riis Park / History / Expansion under Robert Moses
caption_attribution_description: The Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge is celebrating its 75th anniversary on July 3, 2012. Aerial view of the bridge’s center span, now in place. Floyd Bennett Field is at the top of the photograph. Next to each end of the bridge are terminals for the municipal ferry that operated prior to the bridge’s opening. Photo dated 1937. Photo courtesy of Hardesty and Hanover.
context_page_description: Jacob Riis Park, also called Jacob A. Riis Park and Riis Park, is a seaside park at the southwestern end of the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It lies at the foot of the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, east of Fort Tilden, and west of Neponsit and Rockaway Beach. Originally run by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is now part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, and is managed by the National Park Service. It features an extensive sand beach along the Atlantic Ocean coastline and several historic Art Deco structures.
  In 1912, the city, urged on by social journalist Jacob Riis, acquired the land for a park initially called Seaside Park and later Telawana Park. In 1914, the park was renamed for Riis. During World War I, the site was used as the Rockaway Naval Air Station, one of the first naval air stations in the United States and, in 1919, the launching point for the first transatlantic flight.
context_section_description: In January 1934, Robert Moses was appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, newly unified from the five borough departments. Moses wished to develop Riis Park into an urban iteration of Jones Beach for working-class New York City residents.  Under Moses, alterations to the bathhouse began in April 1934 with funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Moses was critical of the previous operation of the park, including the contracting of an outside firm to operate concessions and services, leading to deteriorating conditions in the park. Moses canceled nearly all outside contracts and formed the Riis Management Corporation to run services. Improvements to the other park structures were also completed as WPA projects. From 1934 to 1935, Riis Park was the only facility run by the Parks Department to generate revenue.
  On August 6, 1934, Moses released his plan for Riis Park, designed by Gilmore D. Clarke, Julius Burgevin, W. Earle Andrews, and Clinton Loyd. The plan, designed in Beaux-Arts style, featured elements of the final design: the massive parking area for 15,000 cars, the road plan with a roundabout, and a central pedestrian mall running north to south. A second bathhouse structure would be built on the west side of the park, containing a swimming pool. Also included were a causeway and/or bridge linking to Brooklyn. Moses was also critical of several aspects of earlier park plans and the layout created under Benninger, including the placement of the bathhouse and seawall too close to the shore, and the lack of parking spaces. Moses believed the location of the bathhouse and bulkhead left a minimal portion of beach during high tide, and limited future expansion of the beach. The lack of parking, meanwhile, limited the use of the bathhouse, which could accommodate more people than the lot could fit cars. Under Moses's plan, the large parking lot would facilitate traffic from the Belt Parkway and the Marine Parkway Bridge. The 1934 plan was not implemented due to opposition from the local communities. Among the reasons for the resistance were fears of bringing in individuals from other parts of the city to the Rockaways, and the possibility of Riis Park out-competing privately owned beaches and resorts, leading to declines in property values.
  In 1936, Moses released what would be the final plan for Jacob Riis Park, designed by Clarke, Loyd, and Parks Department architect Aymar Embury II. This plan moved the mall to the western end of the property, with a design similar to that of Orchard Beach which was being built in the Bronx at the same time. The parking area design was altered from two square lots in the 1934 plan, into the current large curved and asymmetrical lot. The bathhouse was reconfigured, shortening the face of the beach pavilion and altering its design to use simpler Art Deco elements. The modern road layout was created, which including altering the route of Rockaway Beach Boulevard in front of the bathhouse. Initially running at a diagonal to the bathhouse's front face, the boulevard was straightened and moved farther north. It was also truncated to the western end of the parking lot. The original seawall was replaced and recessed farther north along the new boardwalk. The mall buildings and golf course were also created at this time.  In 1936, Moses asked the New York City Board of Estimate for $3.6 million to improve Jacob Riis Park, Fort Tryon Park, Pelham Bay Park, and the two Marine Parks. But these funds, along with similar amounts Moses requested from the Board of Estimate in each of the next several years, went mostly to build the Marine Parkway Bridge. Jacob Riis Park was completed for a total of $3.5 million, mostly from the WPA.  
  Work to enlarge the beach from 8 to 24 acres began on April 1, 1936.  About 2,000,000 cubic yards (1,500,000 m³) of sand were dredged from Jamaica Bay. The topography of the beach was leveled, with numerous dunes eliminated. The parking lot was partially opened in June 1936 with a 6,000-car capacity. On June 15, 1936, Gree
caption: The construction of the Marine Parkway Bridge, Riis Park (bottom right), and Fort Tilden (bottom left) in 1937. The ferry landings at Riis Park/Fort Tilden and Floyd Bennett Field are also present
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