Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Bayswater Point State Park

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Type
  
State park

Area
  
17 acres (0.069 km)

Phone
  
+1 718-471-2212

Nearest city
  
Queens, New York

Created
  
1991 (1991)

Bayswater Point State Park

Location
  
1479 Point Breeze Place Far Rockaway, New York

Operated by
  
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Address
  
14-79 Point Breeze Pl, Far Rockaway, NY 11691, USA

Hours
  
Open today · 7AM–9PMTuesday7AM–9PMWednesday7AM–9PMThursday7AM–9PMFriday7AM–9PMSaturday7AM–9PMSunday7AM–9PMMonday7AM–9PM

Similar
  
Clay Pit Ponds State Par, Haverstraw Beach State Park, Sayville National Wildlife R, Hudson River Islands St, Bristol Beach State Park

Bayswater Point State Park is a 17-acre (0.069 km2) state park located on Jamaica Bay in Queens, New York. The park is located at the western end of Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway and is built on land that once housed the mansion and estate of banker Louis A. Heinsheimer.

Contents

HistoryEdit

The land that is now occupied by Bayswater Point State Park was once home to "Breezy Point", an expansive mansion built in 1907 by New York City banker Louis A. Heinsheimer. In 1925, the mansion was converted into a home for disabled children, and it was later used as a home for children with intellectual disabilities before being put on the market in the late 1980s.

A 12-acre (0.049 km2) parcel that was to become Bayswater Point State Park was purchased by the Trust for Public Land in 1986. The mansion, which by that point had been damaged by fire, was demolished in 1987 prior to the land being given to New York State in 1988; only the conservatory was left standing.

New York State designated the land as a state park in 1991, and gave the New York City Audubon Society administrative duties over the park. Between 1994 and 1996, the Audubon Society conducted a research and restoration project at Bayswater Point, seeking to engage the public with the land's conservation.

In early May 2010, the park was briefly closed to the public as a result of budget cuts, along with 57 additional state parks and historic sites. However, by month's end an agreement had been reached to re-open many of the parks, including Bayswater Point. In 2015, an $80,000 improvement project to stabilize Sunset Lodge at the park was announced.

UsageEdit

Bayswater Point State Park was established in order to preserve important habitat for migratory birds in Jamaica Bay. The park also protects habitat for butterflies such as the Delaware skipper, and its beach is used by horseshoe crabs during their annual mating season. As such, the park is largely undeveloped, and primarily offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, birdwatching, and fishing.

References

Bayswater Point State Park Wikipedia