Early years During at least three
glacial periods, including the
Wisconsin glaciation around 20,000 years ago, ice sheets advanced south across
North America carving
moraines, valleys, and hills. In particular, bays and
estuaries were formed along the north shore of
Long Island. During glaciation, what is now Flushing Meadows Park was formed just north of the
terminal moraine that runs across Long Island, which consisted of sand, gravel, clay and boulders. The moraine created a
drainage divide, with rivers north of the moraine such as the future
Flushing River emptying into the north shore. The Flushing Meadows site became a glacial lake, and then a salt marsh after the ice melted. Prior to glaciation, the Flushing River valley was used by the
Hudson River to drain southward into the
Atlantic Ocean. Through the 19th century, the site continued to consist of wetlands straddling Flushing River. Species inhabiting the site included
waterfowl and
fiddler crab, with fish using water pools for spawning. The area was first settled by
Algonquian Native Americans of Long Island (referred to erroneously as "
Mantinecocks"). They consisted of the "Canarsee" and "Rockaway"
Lenape groups, which inhabited coastal wetlands across Queens and Brooklyn. Beginning in 1640, Dutch settlers moved into the area, establishing the town of Newtown to the west of the site (which would become
Elmhurst,
Corona, and other areas in western Queens), and the town of Flushing to the east. By the 1800s, primitive roads were established crossing the meadows, running along what are now
Northern Boulevard and the
Long Island Expressway. Several railroads were also laid through the site, including lines of the
Flushing and North Side Railroad (today's LIRR
Port Washington Branch and the defunct
Whitestone Branch). Shortly after the
American Civil War, the meadows became a waterfront resort due to its natural beauty, and affluent New Yorkers constructed homes in the area. purchased large tracts of marsh near Flushing Creek. At the time, the land was considered "all but worthless". Degnon envisioned using the site to create a large industrial port around
Flushing Bay, similar to a terminal he developed in
Long Island City. By 1911, Degnon had created a plan along with the
United States Department of War and the Queens Topographical Bureau. The plan envisioned widening Flushing River and creating docks for ships, with numerous factories and freight facilities. Meanwhile, the residential areas of Corona were expected to become the primary residence for factory workers. To create the port, beginning in 1910 Degnon proceeded to fill the land using household
coal ash and street sweepings from Brooklyn. Degnon set up two companies of his own, one of which was contracted with the
New York City Department of Sanitation. Residential ash was collected via trolleys of the
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, and loaded onto freight trains which traveled via the
Long Island Rail Road branches, or other trolleys, which hauled the refuse to Corona. The operation was referred to as a citywide refuse "conveyor belt", while the trains were nicknamed the "
Talcum Powder Express" because they often ran uncovered and deposited soot onto the surroundings. The northern end of the site was filled via now-conventional means, using dirt pumped from Flushing Bay which was being dredged to a lower depth. Material from the bay was extracted by an offshore hydraulic machine, and funneled through a pipe across Northern Boulevard, before being deposited onto the wetlands. The filling for the north meadow was complete in 1916. The prospect of creating a port was halted in 1917 by material restrictions caused by
World War I, and a lack of federal support for the project. Industrial activities in the borough were fulfilled by existing terminals in Long Island City,
Maspeth, Flushing, and College Point. Dumping of ash into the meadows continued, however, fueled by the increased use of garbage incinerators in the city. The area became known as the Corona Dump or Corona Ash Dumps. During nearly 30 years of filling, around 50 million cubic yards of ash and waste were dumped onto the meadows site. One particular mound of ash rose high and was called "Mount Corona". Other mounds rose high. Much of the "street sweepings" collected consisted of horse
manure from horse-drawn carriages. In addition, many residents simply threw out normal garbage along with the coal ashes. The meadows were also considered one of the worst breeding grounds for mosquitoes in the city. The dump was famously characterized as "a valley of ashes" in
F. Scott Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald meanwhile described the Flushing River, now polluted from the dumps, as "a small foul river". The dumps and garbage trains were accused of facilitating a
polio outbreak in Corona in 1916. The Brooklyn Ash Removal Company was brought to court by local residents in 1923 for "violation of the sanitary code" due to the smoke emitted from the dumps. As a minor concession, the company opened the Corona Park Golf and Country Club in 1931, on a tract near Nassau Boulevard (today's Long Island Expressway). When
Etihad Park was built for
Major League Soccer team
New York City FC in 2027, "The Valley of Ashes" became one of the stadium's nicknames because of its proximity to the dump's site.
Park planning and World's Fairs 1939–1940 Fair and aftermath |alt=see caption New York City Parks Commissioner
Robert Moses first conceived the idea of developing a large park in Flushing Meadow in the 1920s. At the time, he envisioned the site to become a "true '
Central Park'", especially with much of city population moving to Queens and Long Island due to
urban sprawl. Moses also planned Flushing Meadows to be the westernmost of a chain of parks running across Queens, which would include
Kissena Park,
Cunningham Park,
Alley Pond Park, and
Douglaston Park. In 1930, Moses released plans for numerous parks and highways in the city. This included the
Grand Central Parkway, the construction of which would require taking land from the ash dumps. One of the provisional projects listed was a "Flushing River Park", along with a "Flushing River Parkway". The Brooklyn Ash Removal Company's contract with the city expired in 1933, and the city took over the company's assets and operations on May 25, 1934. The Brooklyn Ash property occupied around of the site, north of what is now the Long Island Expressway. The remainder of the meadows still contained natural wildlife. It was frequented by fur trappers, local residents collecting firewood and growing vegetables, and later, squatters during the
Great Depression. Areas of the dumps were also used for growing vegetables, with the soil fertilized by the garbage and manure. In 1935, the site, now planned as "Flushing Meadow Park", was selected for what would become the 1939 World's Fair. In addition to the ash dumps and undeveloped meadows, houses in Corona east of 111th Street, adjacent to the dumps, were condemned and added to the site, displacing residents. Work on the World's Fair site began on June 16, 1936. The project primarily involved leveling the ash mounds, with the leftover material used to fill other areas of the meadow. Two sites were excavated to create Meadow and Willow Lake, while much of the Flushing River was diverted into underground
culverts. A
floodgate was built to prevent
tidal flow from flooding the lakes. In addition to recreation, the lakes would serve as repositories for excess storm runoff. The dirt from the lake sites was used as additional topsoil for the park. The project was an around-the-clock job, with 450 workers operating on three daily shifts. Workers had to combat the effects of high tide, and dust storms created by the ash. The work significantly changed the topography of the meadows, differing from that created by glaciation. Thousands of trees were transplanted to the fair site in order to create a natural landscape. Meanwhile, thousands of
Douglas fir timbers were driven into the ground to act as
pilings for the foundations of the fair structures. The pedestrian plan called for numerous wide tree-lined pathways, including a central "Cascade Mall" leading to the
Trylon and Perisphere, many of which would be retained for the park. The Fresh Kills site was developed into
Freshkills Park in the early 21st century. In November 1939, a
water main running through Flushing Meadows Park to supply water to Flushing failed. Unlike the fair buildings, the pipeline was not built on piling foundations and eventually sank into the marsh and landfill. In January 1940, Borough President Harvey demanded an investigation into the main's construction take place, while the Board of Estimate allocated $50,200 for repairs. Following the closure of the Fair in 1940, the site was supposed to be cleared in order to develop and open Flushing Meadows as a city park. The onset of
World War II, however, delayed the project. The profits from the World's Fair were supposed to pay for the development of the park, but in spite of its success the fair turned a financial loss. Only two permanent attractions were opened in 1941: an ice skating rink and roller rink in the
New York City Building, The latter utilized the pool used for ''
Billy Rose's Aquacade'' during the fair. In the meantime, some of the buildings from the 1939 Fair were used for the first temporary headquarters of the
United Nations beginning in 1946. The former New York City Building was used for the
UN General Assembly during this time. Moses attempted to sell Flushing Meadows as a permanent headquarters for the UN, which would have required new structures and a complete redesign of the fair ground layout. The proposal was rejected however, due to concerns over the strength of the former marshland for building construction, the lack of "scenic beauty" in the meadows, and the distance from Manhattan. The UN moved to their
now-permanent headquarters in 1951. The New York City building was later refurbished for the 1964/1965 Fair as the New York City Pavilion, featuring the
Panorama of the City of New York, an enormous scale model of the entire city. It is one of two buildings that survive from the 1939/40 Fair, and the only one that remains in its original location. (The other is the
Belgium exhibition building, disassembled and moved to the campus of
Virginia Union University in 1941.) It is now the home of the
Queens Museum of Art, which still houses, and occasionally updates, the
Panorama. Gilmore D. Clarke and Michael Rapuano were retained to tailor the original 1939 park layout for the new fair. Three structures were retained from the 1939 Fair. Meanwhile, several new structures and attractions were built for the 1964 fair, including the
Unisphere,
Shea Stadium, the
New York Hall of Science, and
Queens Botanical Garden. The Unisphere, built as the theme symbol for the 1964/1965 World's Fair, has since become the main sculptural feature of the park. It stands on the site occupied by the
Perisphere during the earlier Fair. The Van Wyck Expressway was extended north through the park site along the right-of-way of the former
World's Fair Railroad. Moses and the Parks Department also prepared post-fair plans to finish Flushing Meadows Park, as well as Kissena Corridor Park and Kissena Park, projected to be complete by 1967. In early 1964, the New York City Council added "
Corona" to the park's name; the park was now named "Flushing Meadows–Corona Park", in preparation for that year's World's Fair. Councilman
Edward Sadowsky explained that this was intended to correct an injustice: "The people of Corona have long lived in the aroma of a junkyard or a dump named for their community. Now, when there is something beautiful to be seen, there is no mention of the name Corona." Following the fair, most buildings from the fair were demolished. Some were relocated, such as the
Wisconsin Pavilion,
Uniroyal Giant Tire, and
Golden Rondelle Theater, while others remained in the park, such as the Unisphere, Hall of Science,
New York State Pavilion, and
United States Pavilion. Most of the remaining $11.6 million from the fair funds, as well as money from Moses'
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, were used to rehabilitate the site into a true park. City officials proposed repurposing the site as a "sports park" in 1966; ultimately, the Parks Department took back ownership of the site, which opened on June 3, 1967.
Late 20th century Although the park was opened, it had yet to become the grand park Moses had originally envisioned. In August 1967, new parks commissioner
August Heckscher II sought to begin improvements on the park in order to turn it into the "Central Park of the 20th century". A new plan for the park had been designed by architects
Marcel Breuer Lawrence Halprin, and
Kenzō Tange. These plans included a central mall by Halprin, which would have connected with a "spine" of retail buildings to the south (designed by Breuer) and a sports complex to the north (designed by Tange). By 1972, little development had taken place to improve the park, while many World's Fair structures remained in disrepair. In 1975, a group of
traditionalist Catholics started to assemble at the old Vatican Pavilion
exedra monument of the 1964 New York World's Fair to have evening
rosary prayer vigils, having been obligated to relocate from
Bayside, Queens. This was led by a woman named
Veronica Lueken who claimed she was experiencing
visions there of the
Virgin Mary, and giving out supposed messages from heaven, frequently apocalyptic in nature. At its height in the late 20th century, thousands of people attended the nightly events, held on different
feast days. After Lueken's death in 1995, and her husband's death in 2002, their followers divided into two small camps that continued to visit the park for vigils. Arne Abramowitz became administrator of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in 1986 and soon began planning a renovation of the park. The following year, NYC Parks announced an $80 million rehabilitation of the park. The renovation had been planned since the early 1980s but had been deferred due to a lack of funding. The grounds of the park's northern section were landscaped in 1992, and the restoration of the Unisphere was completed in May 1994. By the mid-1990s, NYC Parks was planning to spend another $19 million to rebuild fountains, build a new ramp to the
Willets Point Boulevard station, add three entrances and a cultural walk, and enlarge the Hall of Science. The Aquacade amphitheater, which had decayed extensively, was demolished in 1996.
Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in the park in 1997, replacing a smaller stadium. In addition, mosaic medallions commemorating the World's Fair were installed at David Dinkins Circle in 1998; it is unknown who designed the mosaics.
Early 21st century By the early 2000s, NYC Parks had spent $61 million to renovate the park, including $11 million on a promenade along Flushing Bay, $7 million for turf fields, and six new playgrounds. The park had also become the residence of a number of homeless people. This fact received attention after five possibly homeless individuals abducted, raped, and threatened to kill a woman who had been sitting with her partner at the nearby
Mets–Willets Point subway station. Several improvements were made to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the 2000s and 2010s. The Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Conservancy was formed in 2002 to advocate for parkland in the area. The $66.3 million
Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatics Center, encompassing an Olympic-sized public indoor pool and an
NHL regulation-sized skating rink, opened in 2008. The facility is the largest recreation complex in any New York City park, at . This was followed by the opening of
Citi Field, a new baseball field to replace Shea Stadium, in 2009. Another public-private partnership, the Alliance for Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, was created in 2015. It commenced construction on, or announced plans for, several improvement projects at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. These included a plan to restore the New York State Pavilion, as well as the construction of a "mist garden" in the park's Fountains of the Fairs. and the rehabilitation of the World's Fair Playground and the marina. The market became popular due to its affordability, since all food cost a maximum of $5–6. Another food festival, the World's Fare, started in 2017 and is hosted in Citi Field's parking lot on about the third weekend of May. Restoration of the New York State Pavilion began in 2019, as did work on the Fountains of the Fairs. The Fountains of the Fairs were dedicated in October 2020. In early 2022, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gave a local group, the Waterfront Alliance, a $530,000 grant to study the effects of
climate change at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park after U.S. representative
Grace Meng had requested the grant the previous year. At the time, the city government was spending $350 million on various upgrades at the park, though it was estimated that $80–100 million would be required for plumbing upgrades alone. The park had also become popular with Queens's large Latin-American population, who frequently played soccer there. The first phase of the New York State Pavilion's renovation was finished in 2023, with a second phase planned to be completed in 2025. The mosaic medallions at David Dinkins Circle had become dilapidated by 2024, when NYC Parks announced plans to remove them, citing the fact that the mosaics were causing people to trip. New York state officials announced in April 2022 that they would issue three
casino licenses in
Downstate New York. Following this announcement, in 2023,
New York Mets owner
Steven A. Cohen proposed a redevelopment of the parking lot west of
Citi Field, which later became the
Metropolitan Park proposal. The city
rezoned the Metropolitan Park site in March 2025, and the
New York State Legislature approved the rezoning that May; these approvals removed the Metropolitan Park site from Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. A casino license for the site was given by the
New York State Gaming Commission in December 2025. ==Geography==