Union Tpke 141st St 17 - Vleigh Place Playground

Judge Moses Weinstein Playground is a 3.25-acre triangular park located in the

Kew Gardens Hills Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, and Parsons Boulevard to t ...

neighborhood of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

History

The park was acquired by the city in 1948 in response to local demand for open space and recreational facilities. Residential construction increased following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, ushered in by the growth and expansion of roadways new and old, resulting in many homes but few parks and schools. Judge Moses Weinstein Playground takes its name from Moses M. Weinstein, a respected legislator, jurist and civic leader who resided in Kew Gardens Hills for nearly a half century. Weinstein was born on the Lower East Side in 1912 and received his education at Brooklyn College and

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

. During the Second World War, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a last-ditch effort by the Nazi forces to delay an allied invasion of Germany. After the war, Weinstein settled in Kew Gardens Hills, taking an active role in the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He first ran for State Assembly in 1958, winning the first of his six terms at the seat. During his time as a lawmaker, Weinstein rose in stature to become the Assembly Majority Leader and Chair of the Queens County Democratic Organization. Weinstein stood out from among his 150 colleagues through progressive legislation that provided relief for the public such as the Crime Victims’ Compensation Board, consumer bill of rights and financial aid for air-pollution controls. In 1969, Weinstein was elected as a Queens State Supreme Court justice, rising over the years to the Appellate Court, where he presided until his retirement in 1989. As a judge, Weinstein ruled on cases that determined due process and constitutionality in public school financing. Formerly called Vleigh Place Playground, the site was renamed in 2008 under the auspices of Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe on the first anniversary of Weinstein's death. Today the park includes an array of recreational facilities and large playing fields for the pleasure of the surrounding community of Kew Gardens Hills.

References

External links

Judge Moses Weinstein Playground
—

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...

{{coord, 40.71816, -73.82066, display=title Parks in Queens, New York Robert Moses projects Kew Gardens Hills, Queens