O'Donohue Park

O'Donohue Park is a four-acre waterfront park on Shore Front Parkway near Beach 9th Street in Far Rockaway, Queens. The park provides recreation space and waterfront access on the Rockaway Peninsula, a narrow barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay.

Far Rockaway, at the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula, has faced significant economic challenges but maintains a strong community identity rooted in its seaside location. The neighborhood's relationship to the ocean and bay defines its character throughout the seasons.

The park features a playground, basketball courts, and waterfront areas with views across the ocean or bay depending on the park's orientation. The Rockaway Peninsula's narrow geography means that water is never far away from any point in the community.

Far Rockaway was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, with storm surge flooding destroying homes and infrastructure across the peninsula. The recovery process has included improvements to parks and public spaces as part of broader coastal resilience planning.

O'Donohue Park serves a community rebuilding from natural disaster while maintaining the beach-town character and community bonds that have always defined life on the Rockaway Peninsula.