J.J. Byrne Park

J.J. Byrne Park (also known as Washington Park) is a 3.76-acre park in Park Slope, bounded by Third and Fourth Streets and Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The park is named for James J. Byrne, a Brooklyn Borough President who served from 1926 until his death in office in 1930 and who championed the reconstruction of the Old Stone House on this site.

The park features a large playground (the Washington Park playground), athletic fields, basketball courts, and the Old Stone House, a reconstructed 17th-century Dutch farmhouse that serves as a historic house museum and community center. The original stone house on this site played a role in the Battle of Long Island in 1776.

During the Battle of Long Island, the Maryland 400, a regiment of approximately 400 Continental soldiers, launched a desperate counterattack against British positions near the Old Stone House to cover the retreat of Washington's main army. The regiment suffered over 250 casualties in what is considered one of the most heroic actions of the Revolutionary War.

Park Slope, the neighborhood surrounding the park, is one of Brooklyn's most affluent and family-oriented areas, known for its landmark brownstone row houses, excellent restaurants, and proximity to Prospect Park. The park serves as a primary recreation space for the many families with young children who live in the neighborhood.

J.J. Byrne Park combines Revolutionary War heritage, World War I commemoration, and contemporary family recreation in a single space, layering centuries of American military history beneath the daily activities of one of Brooklyn's most desirable residential neighborhoods.