A Brief History of The Park

Brookdale Park is located in what once was a gathering place for the Lenni-Lanape Indians. During the 17th Century, Dutch settlers transformed the area, then called Stonehouse Plains, into farming and grazing land. In the 1800s, when the area got its own post office near the Third River, the neighborhood came to be known as Brookdale.

In 1928, land purchases began and the basic work was completed by 1930. With the onset of the Depression, construction schedules slowed as money was needed elsewhere. As unemployment spread, agencies such as the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) were organized and subsequently provided most of the funding and labor needed to construct the park. Brookdale Park was completed in 1937.

About The Park

Brookdale Park, designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers firm, which also created New York’s Central Park, is one of Essex County’s largest parks. With 78 acres in Bloomfield and 43 acres in Montclair, Brookdale is a serene oasis in an otherwise densely populated area.

A rose garden featuring more than 100 species of roses, trails for walking and running, lush groves and extensive lawns, playgrounds, sports fields, track facilities, tennis courts, an archery range and stadium grandstand are some of the attractions that make Brookdale Park a magnet for nature lovers, families, and physical fitness enthusiasts for miles around.