Flushing Meadows–Corona Park

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Good article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox park Flushing Meadows–Corona Park (often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park or simply Flushing Meadows or Corona Park) is a public park in the northern part of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It is bounded by I-678 (Van Wyck Expressway) on the east, Grand Central Parkway on the west, Flushing Bay on the north, and Union Turnpike on the south. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the fourth-largest public park in New York City, with a total area of Template:Convert.

Until the 19th century, the site consisted of wetlands straddling the Flushing River, which traverses the region from north to south. Starting in the first decade of the 20th century, it was used as a dumping ground for ashes, since at the time, the land was so far away from the developed parts of New York City as to be considered almost worthless. New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses first conceived the idea of developing a large park in Flushing Meadow in the 1920s as part of a system of parks across eastern Queens. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park was created as the site of the 1939 New York World's Fair and also hosted the 1964 New York World's Fair. Following the 1964 fair, the park fell into disrepair, although some improvements have taken place since the 1990s and 2000s.

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park retains much of the layout from the 1939 World's Fair. Its attractions include the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the venue for the US Open tennis tournament; Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets baseball team; Etihad Park, the home of soccer team New York City FC; the New York Hall of Science; the Queens Museum; the Queens Theatre in the Park; the Queens Zoo; the Unisphere; and the New York State Pavilion. It formerly contained Shea Stadium, demolished in 2009. The Flushing River continues to run through the park, and two large lakes called Meadow and Willow Lakes take up much of the park's area south of the Long Island Expressway.

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is owned and maintained by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks. Private, non-profit groups such as the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Conservancy and the Alliance for Flushing Meadows–Corona Park provide additional funds, services, and support. The park is at the eastern edge of the area encompassed by Queens Community Board 4.<ref>Queens Boards, New York City. Accessed January 26, 2024.</ref>

Etymology

File:Flushing Meadows–Corona Park-2.jpg

View of New York State Pavilion tower and the Unisphere in 2013

The park is named after the nearby neighborhoods of Flushing and Corona, which are separated by the park. The name "Flushing" is a corruption of the port town of Vlissingen in the Netherlands. By the 19th century, the word "flushing" had become associated with "a cleansing by rushing water".Template:Sfn "Corona" was added to the name during the 1964 New York World's Fair.<ref name=":0" />

History

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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The moraine created a drainage divide, with rivers north of the moraine such as the future Flushing River emptying into the north shore.Template:Sfn The Flushing Meadows site became a glacial lake, and then a salt marsh after the ice melted.Template:Sfn Prior to glaciation, the Flushing River valley was used by the Hudson River to drain southward into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="KissenaPk-WildSide-1988">Template:Cite web</ref> Through the 19th century, the site continued to consist of wetlands straddling Flushing River.Template:Sfn Species inhabiting the site included waterfowl and fiddler crab, with fish using water pools for spawning.Template:Sfn

The area was first settled by Algonquian Native Americans of Long Island (referred to erroneously as "Mantinecocks").<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-History">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="JacksonKeller2010">Template:Cite enc-nyc</ref> They consisted of the "Canarsee" and "Rockaway" Lenape groups,Template:Sfn which inhabited coastal wetlands across Queens and Brooklyn.<ref name="JacksonKeller2010" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-History"/> The meadows became known as the Corona Meadows.Template:Sfn By 1666, the Native American population had been displaced from the Flushing Meadows site by European settlers, although a deed reserved the right to hunt on the land for the Native Americans. Several wealthy landowners began building farmhouses on the site in the mid-to-late 17th century. The meadows provided numerous natural resources for settlers, including timber, water, fertile soil, and grass and hay for grazing domestic animals.Template:Sfn During the American Revolution, a farmhouse on the site of the modern World's Fair Marina was used as a headquarters for British forces.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-Marina">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Autumn.jpg

The park in fall

By the 1800s, primitive roads were established crossing the meadows, running along what are now Northern Boulevard and the Long Island Expressway.Template:Sfn 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).Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-History"/> British saloon-keeper Harry Hill built the Flushing Bay Hotel and Pavilion on the future marina site.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-Marina"/>

Filling and use as a dumping ground

Around 1907, contractor Michael Degnon, whose firm constructed the Williamsburg Bridge, the Cape Cod Canal, and the Steinway subway tunnel (used by today's Template:NYCS trains),<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> purchased large tracts of marsh near Flushing Creek.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Seyfried1986">Template:Cite book</ref> At the time, the land was considered "all but worthless".Template:Sfn Degnon envisioned using the site to create a large industrial port around Flushing Bay, similar to a terminal he developed in Long Island City.<ref name="Seyfried1986" /><ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Valley of Ashes.jpg

Aerial view of the Corona Ash Dumps, circa the early 1920s

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.<ref name="Steinberg2011-SFP52-Stage1A11-Phase1A19-EIS1_10"/> He also contracted the Brooklyn Ash Removal Company, owned by Fishhooks McCarthy, a member of the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Steinberg2011-SFP52-Stage1A11-Phase1A19-EIS1_10">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> 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 Template:Convert pipe across Northern Boulevard, before being deposited onto the wetlands.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The filling for the north meadow was complete in 1916.Template:Sfn

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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Dumping of ash into the meadows continued, however, fueled by the increased use of garbage incinerators in the city.Template:Sfn The area became known as the Corona Dump or Corona Ash Dumps.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> During nearly 30 years of filling, around 50 million cubic yards of ash and waste were dumped onto the meadows site.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> One particular mound of ash rose Template:Convert high and was called "Mount Corona".<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Other mounds rose Template:Convert high.<ref name="NYTimes-WF-Jun1936"/> The average thickness of the ash was Template:Convert.Template:Sfn

The dumps drew the ire of local residents, due to strong odors and being deemed unsightly, along with increasing rat infestations in the local neighborhoods.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The meadows were also considered one of the worst breeding grounds for mosquitoes in the city.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dump was famously characterized as "a valley of ashes" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Fitzgerald meanwhile described the Flushing River, now polluted from the dumps, as "a small foul river".Template:Sfn The dumps and garbage trains were accused of facilitating a polio outbreak in Corona in 1916.Template:Sfn 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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).Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When Etihad Park was built for Major League Soccer team New York City FC, "The Valley of Ashes" became one of the stadium's nicknames because of its proximity to the dump's site.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Park planning and World's Fairs

1939–1940 Fair and aftermath

Template:Main

see caption

The 1939 New York World's Fair

New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses first conceived the idea of developing a large park in Flushing Meadow in the 1920s.Template:Sfn 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-Jun1967"/> In 1929, representatives from surrounding communities created a plan to turn the ash dump into a recreational complex, and presented them to Queens Borough President George U. Harvey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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".Template:Sfn<ref name="NYTimes-NewCityPks-Moses-Feb1930">Template:Cite web</ref> The Brooklyn Ash Removal Company's contract with the city expired in 1933,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the city took over the company's assets and operations on May 25, 1934.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Brooklyn Ash property occupied around Template:Convert of the Template:Convert site, north of what is now the Long Island Expressway.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.Template:Sfn Areas of the dumps were also used for growing vegetables, with the soil fertilized by the garbage and manure.Template:Sfn

In 1935, the site, now planned as "Flushing Meadow Park", was selected for what would become the 1939 World's Fair.<ref name="GreatWorlFair">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Kadinsky2016" /> The plans were drafted by Parks Department landscape architect Gilmore David Clarke and his partner Michael Rapuano, designed in Beaux-Arts style.Template:Sfn<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-Unisphere">Template:Cite web</ref> Work on the World's Fair site began on June 16, 1936.<ref name="NYTimes-WF-Jun1936">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="IFLA-FlushingTheMeadows">Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to recreation, the lakes would serve as repositories for excess storm runoff.Template:Sfn The dirt from the lake sites was used as additional topsoil for the park.<ref name="NYTimes-QnsPkRising-1936">Template:Cite news</ref> The project was an around-the-clock job, with 450 workers operating on three daily shifts.Template:Sfn<ref name="NYTimes-WF-Jun1936" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 Template:Convert Douglas fir timbers were driven into the ground to act as pilings for the foundations of the fair structures.Template:Sfn 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.<ref name="NYTimes-QnsPkRising-1936" />

Faced with having to dispose of the mountains of ashes, Moses incorporated a significant portion of the refuse into the bases of several roadways that bordered or bisected the park.<ref name=30YrsP8-SteinbergP214/> This included the Van Wyck Expressway (Interstate 678) running along the eastern side of the park, the nearby Interboro Parkway (now Jackie Robinson Parkway), and the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) that divides the park into north and south halves. The Grand Central Parkway separates a western lobe from the main part of the northern half, while the east-west Jewel Avenue bisects the southern half.<ref name=30YrsP64-HPSP126-SFPP14/> The success of the Flushing Meadows site as a garbage dump-turned-park led Moses and the city to develop other wetlands in the city into parks via short-term refuse landfilling. This process was used to create Marine Park and Spring Creek Park in Brooklyn, and Ferry Point Park in the Bronx. This was also the original plan for the Fresh Kills and Edgemere landfills, which remained open past their expected tenure and became large and long-term municipal waste sites.<ref name=30YrsP8-SteinbergP214>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="LIStar-SpCrkPk-Landfill-Jan1962">Template:Cite news</ref> The Fresh Kills site was developed into Freshkills Park in the early 21st century.Template:Sfn

Template:Multiple image

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.Template:Sfn Only two permanent attractions were opened in 1941: an ice skating rink and roller rink<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYTimes-ParkRising-1941">Template:Cite news</ref> in the New York City Building,<ref name="QnsMuseum"/> and a public pool located in the New York State Marine Amphitheatre (now demolished).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The latter utilized the pool used for Billy Rose's Aquacade during the fair.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYTImes-Moses-Fair-Ap1966">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="QnsMuseum">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Cite book</ref> 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.Template:Sfn<ref name="QnsMuseum"/><ref>The Panorama of the City of New York Template:Webarchive. Queens Museum of Art. Retrieved May 16, 2012.</ref> It is one of two buildings that survive from the 1939/40 Fair, and the only one that remains in its original location.Template:Sfn (The other is the Belgium exhibition building, disassembled and moved to the campus of Virginia Union University in 1941.Template:Sfn) It is now the home of the Queens Museum of Art, which still houses, and occasionally updates, the Panorama.<ref name="QnsMuseum"/> The remainder of the park, meanwhile, had fallen into disrepair, with wild animals moving back into the area.<ref name="NYTImes-Moses-Fair-Ap1966"/> Only minor upgrades to the park occurred during this time.Template:Sfn

1964–1965 Fair

Template:Main

see caption

The Unisphere at the 1964/1965 World's Fair

The Flushing Meadows site was selected in 1959 as the site of the 1964 World's Fair.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn Gilmore D. Clarke and Michael Rapuano were retained to tailor the original 1939 park layout for the new fair.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The Unisphere, built as the theme symbol for the 1964/1965 World's Fair, has since become the main sculptural feature of the park.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> It stands on the site occupied by the Perisphere during the earlier Fair.Template:Sfn The Van Wyck Expressway was extended north through the park site along the right-of-way of the former World's Fair Railroad.Template:Sfn 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Cite book</ref>

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."<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Cohn 1967">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> City officials proposed repurposing the site as a "sports park" in 1966;<ref name="nyt-1966-08-22">Template:Cite news</ref> ultimately, the Parks Department took back ownership of the site, which opened on June 3, 1967.<ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-Jun1967">Template:Cite news</ref>

Late 20th century

Template:Multiple image Although the park was opened, it had yet to become the grand park Moses had originally envisioned.Template:Sfn 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 and Kenzō Tange, but the project did not receive funds due to communication issues with the New York City Comptroller's office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 1972, little development had taken place to improve the park, while many World's Fair structures remained in disrepair.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-Dec1978"/> The disrepair was systematic within the park system, a product of lack of funding during that decade's fiscal crisis.Template:Sfn This state of disrepair continued into the 1980s.<ref name="ChiTribune-FMCP-Wasteland">Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name=Laycock2014>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=nyt20031009>Template:Cite news</ref> At its height in the late 20th century, thousands of people attended the nightly events, held on different feast days.<ref name=nyt20031009/> One event in June 1983 attracted fifteen thousand pilgrims.<ref name=Laycock2014/> Despite the events' popularity, Bishop Francis Mugavero, then Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, stated in a 1986 "Declaration Concerning the Bayside Movement" that the events lacked credibility.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYC Department of Records & Information Services 2019">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=nyt20031009/><ref name="NYC Department of Records & Information Services 2019" />

Additionally, in 1978, the US Open tennis tournament was moved from the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The tournament was originally held in the Singer Bowl stadium (renamed the Louis Armstrong Stadium), a 1964 World's Fair structure which was renovated and expanded for the tournament. Other parts of the park were also repaired or expanded for the tournament, including the fountains of the Unisphere.<ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-Dec1978">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Arne Abramowitz became administrator of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in 1986 and soon began planning a renovation of the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following year, NYC Parks announced an $80 million rehabilitation of the park.<ref name="nyt19871119">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nydn19870920">Template:Cite news</ref> The renovation had been planned since the early 1980s but had been deferred due to a lack of funding.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The grounds of the park's northern section were landscaped in 1992,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the restoration of the Unisphere was completed in May 1994.<ref name="Huang 1994">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Muschamp 1994">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="p278790201">Template:Cite news</ref> The Aquacade amphitheater, which had decayed extensively,<ref name="New York Daily News h163">Template:Cite web; Template:Cite news</ref> was demolished in 1996.<ref name="Marzlock j896">Template:Cite web</ref> Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in the park in 1997, replacing a smaller stadium.<ref name="p398588758">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, mosaic medallions commemorating the World's Fair were installed at David Dinkins Circle in 1998; it is unknown who designed the mosaics.<ref name="Perlman x004">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="p279299510">Template:Cite news</ref> The park had also become the residence of a number of homeless people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Nike Go Play Day - Skate Kitchen and Quell skateboarding meet up hosted by Leo Baker.jpg

Skateboarding meetup in the park

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was followed by the opening of Citi Field, a new baseball field to replace Shea Stadium, in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Another public-private partnership, the Alliance for Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, was created in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It commenced construction on, or announced plans for, several improvement projects at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> These included a plan to restore the New York State Pavilion,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as the construction of a "mist garden" in the park's Fountains of the Fairs.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /> Other projects included the construction of a promenade around Meadow Lake<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the rehabilitation of the World's Fair Playground and the marina.<ref name=":2" /> In 2015, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park also started hosting the Queens Night Market, a summertime food market that features cuisine from dozens of countries.<ref name=QueensNightMarket>Template:Cite web</ref> The market became popular due to its affordability, since all food cost a maximum of $5–6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Restoration of the New York State Pavilion began in 2019,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as did work on the Fountains of the Fairs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Fountains of the Fairs were dedicated in October 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="Crain's New York Business 2022">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Feldman 2022"/> The park was extremely vulnerable to flooding because of its topography and because of sea level rise caused by global warming. Climate scientists had predicted that parts of the park would be flooded regularly by the 2050s<ref name="Feldman 2022"/> and that the entire park could be underwater by the 2080s.<ref name="Crain's New York Business 2022"/><ref name="Parry 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> At the time, the city government was spending $350 million on various upgrades at the park.<ref name="Feldman 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> By mid-2023, the New York City government was considering erecting tents in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to temporarily house asylum seekers.<ref name=nyt-2023-05-08>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Gloria Pazmino 2023">Template:Cite web</ref> The park had also become popular with Queens's large Latin-American population, who frequently played soccer there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first phase of the New York State Pavilion's renovation was finished in 2023,<ref name="Parry 20232">Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> with a second phase planned to be completed in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="Perlman x004" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Metropolitan Park proposal

Template:Infobox casino

New York state officials announced in April 2022 that they would issue three casino licenses in Downstate New York.<ref name="nyt-2022-10-21">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Short 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> Following this announcement, in 2023, New York Mets owner Steven A. Cohen proposed a redevelopment of the parking lot west of Citi Field.<ref name="Byfield Luck 2023 v481">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gannon 2023 v626">Template:Cite web</ref> The proposed development would be known as Metropolitan Park and would feature a 2,300 room Hard Rock Hotel–themed Integrated Resort which would include a casino. The hotel could become the largest hotel in New York City and amongst the largest hotels in the world if built. It would also include cultural amenities, restaurants, shopping, and park space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Flushing Post 2024 b545">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Parry 2024 d554">Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2024, state senator Jessica Ramos stated she would not introduce legislation to help get the project approved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2025, the City Planning Commission voted in favor of approving zoning changes which would allow for the project to be built. The area is zoned as parkland and zoning changes are needed to allow the project to move forward. Neighboring community boards have also voted in favor of the proposed development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2025, the City Council voted 41–2 to approve the zoning changes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that month, State Senator John Liu announced that he would introduce a bill to reclassify the zoning of the parking lot next to Citi Field as commercial space, which if passed would allow the integrated resort to be built. Liu does not represent the district, but Jessica Ramos, who does represent this district, has refused to introduce this bill because she opposes the plan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In late April 2025, a State Senate committee voted 4-3 to advance a bill allowing the Willets Point section of the park to be rezoned to permit commercial use.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2025, the bill passed in the state assembly 138–7.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

The layout of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park retains much of Gilmore D. Clarke and Michael Rapuano's Beaux-Arts planning from the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-PastFuture-2001">Template:Cite news</ref> Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the fourth-largest public park in New York City. It was long believed to be Template:Convert in size, but a survey concluded in 2013 found its actual size to be Template:Convert when accounting for major roads and other exclusions within the park's perimeter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This does not take into account a disputed claim that the neighborhood of Willets Point, along the north edge of the park, is itself part of the park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Layout

Template:Flushing Meadows-Corona Park map The northern section of the park, the former fair grounds,<ref name="NYTimes-QnsPkRising-1936" /> revolves around large paved pathways which during the fairs led to focal points such as pavilions, fountains and sculptures. The Trylon and Perisphere, and later Unisphere, were placed at the main axial point.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-Unisphere" /><ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-PastFuture-2001" />Template:Sfn The Unisphere and Queens Museum currently sit at the west end of the main promenade. Near the center of the promenade (called Herbert Hoover Promenade on the north side, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Promenade on the south side) are the Fountains of the Fairs, which sit in the median of the paths. At the far east end is the Fountain of the Planets, originally called the Pool of Industry.Template:Sfn This layout was used to guide fair goers to exhibits.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The layout was based on Gian Lorenzo Bernini's plan for St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-Unisphere" />Template:Sfn The main promenade, measuring Template:Convert,Template:Sfn was provisionally called the "Cascade Mall" during its construction,<ref name="NYTimes-QnsPkRising-1936" /> and later named the "Constitution Mall" during the first fair.Template:Sfn Many former exhibit and pavilion sites have since been replaced with soccer fields (artificial turf or dirt and grass), while others have been left as open grass fields.Template:Sfn

The southern portion of the park is largely occupied by Meadow and Willow Lake.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The two lakes, along with the Pool of Industry and Fountain of the Planets in the former fair grounds, are fed by the Flushing River, which flows north through both lakes and underneath the fountain as a subterranean river towards Flushing Bay.Template:Sfn The two lakes are connected by a narrow channel, forming a peninsula in between the lakes.<ref name="NYTimes-FMCP-PastFuture-2001"/> During the 1939 Fair, Meadow Lake was temporarily named "Fountain Lake" and "Liberty Lake".Template:Sfn<ref name="NYTimes-FineParkFromFair">Template:Cite news</ref> The land around Meadow Lake contains much of the park's true "parkland", with open grass, picnic and grilling areas, and baseball and cricket fields.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> During the fairs, the land on the north shore and part of the eastern shore of the lake was used as an amusement area,<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Kadinsky2016" /> with large parking lots added on the east and west shores for the 1964 Fair.Template:Sfn<ref name="Kadinsky2016" /><ref name="NYTimes-UnwantedRelics">Template:Cite news</ref> The lots were removed and converted to parkland after the 1964 Fair.<ref name="NYTimes-UnwantedRelics"/> The Willow Lake area of the park is a nature reserve.Template:Sfn The area around Willow Lake originally also contained sports fields and park trails,<ref name="Kadinsky2016"/><ref name="NYTimes-QnsPkRising-1936"/><ref name="NYDaily-WillowLake-Fishy-2014">Template:Cite news</ref> until it was fenced off and turned into a preserve in 1976.<ref name="Kadinsky2016"/>

The park is entirely circumscribed by highways constructed by Robert Moses. Its eastern boundary is formed by the Van Wyck Expressway (I-678). The south and west ends of the park are bound by the Grand Central Parkway, with the Kew Gardens Interchange situated at the southernmost point. The northern edge of the park is bound by the expressway portion of Northern Boulevard (New York State Route 25A) which connects the Grand Central and the Whitestone Expressway. The park is bisected by the Long Island Expressway, at the approximate south end of the former Corona Ash Dumps, which separate the northern and southern halves of the park. Jewel Avenue and its interchange with the Grand Central further separate the southern section into two halves, with Meadow Lake to the north of Jewel Avenue and Willow Lake to the south.<ref name=30YrsP64-HPSP126-SFPP14>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Access to the park is limited due to a lack of public transportation reaching many areas of the site, and presence of the highways at the perimeters of the park separating the site from local neighborhoods. The park also has very few formal entrances from local neighborhoods; this is a vestige of the World's Fairs, where access was controlled.Template:Sfn<ref name="ChiTribune-FMCP-Wasteland" />

Studies by various groups have separated the park into a different number of sections. A study by the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation divides the park into three areas: the "historic core" (former World's Fair grounds), Meadow Lake, and Willow Lake.Template:Sfn The Flushing Meadows Corona Park Strategic Framework Plan divides the park into a total of seven "zones": the Marina along Flushing Bay (containing the World's Fair Marina), the "Sport Center" (containing Citi Field and the USTA), "West Park" (a small section extending west of the Grand Central Parkway and the fair grounds, housing the New York Hall of Science and the Queens Zoo), the "Recreation & Garden Botanical Area" (extending east of the fair grounds along the Kissena Creek corridor, housing the Queens Botanical Garden), the "Historic World's Fair Core Area", Meadow Lake, and Willow Lake.Template:Sfn

Hydrology and ecology

Template:Multiple image The two lakes and the remainder of Flushing Creek are separated by a flood gate or dam called the "Porpoise Bridge" or "Tide Gate Bridge", located just south of the Long Island Rail Road's Port Washington Branch trestle, at the north end of the Flushing Meadows Golf Center. The dam only permits northward flows towards Flushing Bay to pass, while blocking south-flowing waters.Template:Sfn<ref name="Kadinsky2016"/> As its name implies, the dam also acts as a bridge, carrying pedestrian and vehicular traffic over the creek. It measures Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert long.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The lakes are fed by groundwater.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Kadinsky2016">Template:Cite Hidden Waters NYC</ref>

Prior to human development, Flushing Meadows was originally a tidal marsh, with Flushing Creek receiving south-flowing waters from the tides of Flushing Bay. Although the lakes were built as freshwater lakes and dammed to mitigate tidal effects, flooding continues to affect the park.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="IFLA-FlushingTheMeadows"/> The lakes are also highly eutrophic, due to nutrients such as phosphorus from the former marshland seeping into the water, leading to the death of fish in the lakes. The regular tidal action that would filter the lakes is prevented by the dam.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> In addition, the lakes are subject to pollution and storm runoff from the nearby highways, via pipes which feed into the lakes.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="IFLA-FlushingTheMeadows"/>

Because of its connection with Flushing Bay, several fish species native to marine habitats regularly swim into and inhabit Meadow and Willow Lakes.<ref name="NYDEC-MeadowLake">Template:Cite web</ref> Fish species native to Meadow Lake include American eel, largemouth bass, northern snakehead (an invasive species), and white mullet.<ref name="NYDEC-MeadowLake"/> Willow Lake is named for the many species of willow plants which inhabit the area.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-WillowTrail">Template:Cite web</ref> Invasive phragmites, a genus of wild grasses, are also abundant.Template:Sfn<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-WillowTrail"/><ref name="NYDaily-WillowLake-Fishy-2014"/> Attempts to kill the phragmites with pesticides have led to further fish kill.<ref name="NYDaily-WillowLake-Fishy-2014"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Numerous berry-producing trees and shrubs near Willow Lake attract several migratory bird species.<ref name="NYCPk-FMCP-WillowTrail"/> The biodiversity of the lakes has been found to be much lower than other water bodies of comparable size.Template:Sfn

Notable structures

Attractions

Sports stadiums

Near the northern end of the park, adjacent to Willets Point is the "Sport Center" zone, where the US Open tennis tournament is held.Template:Sfn In 2006, the tennis center was named USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center after professional tennis player Billie Jean King.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its center court is Arthur Ashe Stadium, and its secondary stadium court is Louis Armstrong Stadium.Template:Sfn Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets since 2009, sits at the far north end of the park. Shea Stadium, the Mets' previous home and prior host to the New York Jets football team, once stood adjacent to the area now hosting Citi Field.Template:Sfn

Template:Multiple image

In addition to the existing stadiums, several other sports venues have been proposed for the park. In the 1950s, Flushing Meadows was one of several proposed sites for the relocation of the Brooklyn Dodgers, until the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A racing circuit to host a Formula One grand prix event was proposed for New York City, with one of the potential circuits to be built around Meadow Lake, first for the 1975 season, and later for the 1983 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The plans were opposed by the local community and environmental groups, and the race was postponed and ultimately canceled by 1985.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One of the alternate sites, the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey, would host the Meadowlands Grand Prix Champ Car event in 1984.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in the 1980s, the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL) proposed to relocate to the park, with a new stadium to be built in Willets Point adjacent to Shea Stadium. The plans dissolved when the USFL folded in 1985.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Shortly afterwards, the New York Jets rejected a plan to take over the proposed stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 2010s, a Major League Soccer stadium was proposed in the park after MLS founded New York City FC, the New York area's second soccer team. After examining several sites in the New York area, New York City FC finally decided on building its proposed stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park by 2016, deeming the park as the only viable location for a stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The stadium, which would have been located on the site of the Pool of Industry/Fountain of the Planets,<ref name="daily news">Template:Cite news</ref> was heavily opposed by the community,<ref name="Carlisle stadium controversy">Template:Cite web</ref> which forced the team to change its plans and play at Yankee Stadium.<ref name="Jeff Bradley 2014">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In November 2022, New York City and NYCFC agreed to build a 25,000-seat stadium, Etihad Park, in Willets Point adjacent to Citi Field; it is expected to be completed in 2027.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recreational facilities

The park's Meadow Lake contains a boat house, one of two structures that remain from the 1939 World's Fair, the other being the Queens Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rental boats are available at the boathouse for rowing and paddleboating, and Meadow Lake is also the site of rowing activities for non-profit Row New York, with teams practicing on the lake for much of the year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Meadow Lake also hosts the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, and teams from New York practice in Meadow Lake during the summer months.<ref>See, for example: Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> The American Small Craft Association (TASCA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> also houses a fleet of over a dozen Template:Convert sloop-rigged sailboats, used for teaching, racing, and recreation by the club's members. Bicycling paths extend around Meadow Lake and connect to the Brooklyn–Queens Greenway.<ref>Template:Cite web Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy: mission.</ref>

The Willow Lake Trail, a nature trail around Willow Lake,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was partially reopened in 2013 and is part of the Willow Lake nature preserve. The 78th Avenue gate to the lake remains shuttered and inaccessible despite being the closest gate to the Template:Stn subway station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The chronic lack of maintenance of this portion of the trail has led to ordinary residents to resort to clearing the trail itself.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trail is officially named the Pat Dolan Trail, commemorating the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Conservancy's founder.<ref name="p3047467360">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="New York City Department of Parks Recreation r671">Template:Cite web</ref>

The many recreational playing fields and playgrounds in the park are used for activities that reflect the wide ethnic mix of Queens; soccer and cricket are especially popular.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> New York Road Runners also hosts a weekly Template:Convert Open Run.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as an annual Template:Convert 10K run.<ref name="Schilling 2023 d446">Template:Cite web</ref> By the 2020s, the park had eight playgrounds and a skate park.<ref name="p3047467360" /> Near the northeast corner of the park are the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatics Center, which opened in 2008,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Al Oerter Recreation Center, which also opened in 2008.<ref name="Rhoades r042">Template:Cite web</ref>

World's Fair facilities

Template:Multiple image Some 1964 World's Fair buildings remained in use after the fair. The Flushing Meadows Carousel, opened as part of the 1964 Fair, operates in the northwestern part of the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The New York Hall of Science at the park's northern corner, founded during the 1964 World's Fair,<ref name="remi">Template:Cite web</ref> still operates in its original location.<ref name="Smith f397">Template:Cite web</ref> The New York State Pavilion, constructed as the state's exhibit hall for the same World's Fair, sits derelict and decaying.Template:Sfn<ref name="Curbed-MIB-WF" /> The pavilion was repainted yellow in 2015<ref name="Colangelo">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Curbed-MIB-WF" /> and underwent renovations in the 2020s.<ref name="Parry 2023">Template:Cite web; Template:Cite web</ref> At the northern end of the New York State Pavilion is the Queens Theatre in the Park,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> originally the pavilion's "Theaterama" attraction,<ref>"Flushing Meadows Corona Park Template:Webarchive" New York Magazine, December 11, 2015.</ref> which moved into its current building in 1993.<ref name=":1" /> Terrace on the Park, a banquet and catering facility, was originally the 1964 World's Fair's official helipad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Queens Museum, which became the headquarters of the United Nations General Assembly after the 1939 Fair, was adapted as the 1964 Fair's New York City Pavilion building. After the fair, it was subdivided into the Queens Center for Art and an ice-skating rink, the latter of which was removed when the museum was expanded in 2013.<ref name="nyt 201311">Template:Cite news</ref>

Other buildings remained for a while after the 1964 Fair's conclusion but were subsequently demolished. This included the Travel and Transportation Pavilion, destroyed in 1967 after a failed conversion to a fire station, and the United States Pavilion, demolished in 1977 after great deterioration.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> One such parcel became the site of the Playground for All Children, one of the first playgrounds designed to include handicapped-accessible activities. The design competition for the playground was won by architect Hisham N. Ashkouri; the facility was completed in 1984, and it was refurbished and reopened in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Art installations

Immediately outside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a sculpture by Eric Fischl called Soul in Flight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nyt-2000-09-07">Template:Cite news</ref> The sculpture, unveiled in August 2000, is a 14-foot bronze nude statue that serves as a permanent memorial to Arthur Ashe and includes one of his favorite quotes, "From what we get we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2022, sculptor Sherwin Banfield unveiled Going Back to the Meadows, a statue of Queens–born rapper LL Cool J. Located in David Dinkins Circle, the installation depicted him in a Kangol bucket hat and Cuban link chain, holding up a solar-powered boombox loaded with a cassette of his 1985 debut album, Radio.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Rahmanan 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> The sculpture, which remained through November 2022, featured speakers that were timed to play LL Cool J's music for five hours on several days of the week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other infrastructure

This park also contains three Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) maintenance facilities: the Jamaica subway yard, the Corona subway yard, and the Casey Stengel Bus Depot. The Jamaica Yard is located at the very south end of the park site, beyond Willow Lake, while the Corona Yard and Casey Stengel Depot are located across from Citi Field.Template:Sfn

Transportation

The Train of Many Colors at Mets–Willets Point

A R33 World's Fair subway car leading the Train of Many Colors at Mets–Willets Point.

The New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road both serve the park's northern end. The IRT Flushing Line subway station at Mets–Willets Point is served by the Template:NYCS trains, and the similarly named LIRR station serves the Port Washington Branch. These stations are located at the northern end of the park adjacent to the Corona Yard and bus depot, primarily serving Citi Field and the USTA.<ref name="MTA-CoronaMap-2015">Template:Cite NYCS map</ref><ref name="MTA-Flushing-2015">Template:Cite NYCS map</ref> The 111th Street subway station is located just outside the park grounds, serving the Hall of Science.<ref name="MTA-CoronaMap-2015" /> The Template:NYC bus link buses all travel through the park, but only the Q48 stops within the park perimeter, serving Citi Field and the USTA. The Q58 and Q88 stop outside either side of the park and cross the park via the Horace Harding Expressway, while the Q64 crosses the park along Jewel Avenue/69th Road.Template:Sfn<ref name="MTA-QnsBusMap-Current3">Template:Cite NYC bus map</ref>

In media

The fictional "Valley of Ashes" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (1925) is said to have been inspired by the site of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park when it was still a dump, as well as by nearby Willets Point.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the movie Men in Black (1997), the saucer-shaped restaurants atop the observation towers of the New York State Pavilion were portrayed as real alien UFOs used as a display to disguise its appearance to the public. Edgar the bug attempts to use one to escape Earth, but not before being shot down by the agents (destroying the Unisphere in the process), after which it attempts to climb aboard the second ship but is stopped by Jay, who tricks it into coming back down.<ref name="Curbed-MIB-WF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYDaily-MIB3">Template:Cite news</ref> Scenes for the film Men in Black 3 (2012) were also filmed at Flushing Meadows.<ref name="NYDaily-MIB3" /> That film features a scene that recreates Shea Stadium, demolished in 2009, during the 1969 World Series.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref>

Since the early 1990s, the New York State Pavilion's ledges, steps, and fountain grates have been utilized by skateboarders and featured in famous east coast skateboarding videos.<ref name="VillageVoice-MaloofCup-2010">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="QChron-MaloofCup-Jun2010">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The intro to the long-running 1990s sitcom The King of Queens was partly shot in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2001, during the first season of The Amazing Race, the Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Park served as the Finish Line. In 2014, it served as a stop on the first leg of Season 25.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Stark Expo—first featured in Iron Man 2 (2010)—takes place at the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park and appears in multiple films in the series, including Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and briefly in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In early 2018, musician Paul Simon announced that he would perform his final live concert at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park on September 22, 2018. Simon had grown up near the neighborhood and had visited the park frequently.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>