Murray Playground

Murray Playground. 2.524 Acres. , This park is named for John F. Murray (1889-1944), a lifetime Queens resident and a dedicated recreation supervisor for Queens parks for many years. Although his Parks job kept him busy, he also devoted much of his time to a variety of other activities., Murray supervised the Long Island City Knights of Columbus, the local chapter of the famous Roman Catholic fraternal order. The association organized blood donation campaigns and sports programs for youths, promoted religious activities and articulated Catholic opinion on social issues. In 1944, the New York Chapter of the Knights of Columbus became the holder of the permit for the Columbus Day Parade. Murray also helped supervise recreational activities for the Elmhurst Elks, another neighborhood fraternal society. He also organized local boxing tournaments and trained prizefighters. His best known protégée was Paul Berlenbach (1901-1985), the world champion light heavyweight boxer. Murray and his wife, Catherine, had four sons, John, William, James and Joseph, and two daughters, Marjorie and Alice., The City of New York acquired the land that constitutes Murray Playground in four parts by purchase and condemnation between 1941 and 1945. The park stretches from 11th to 21st Street, and is bounded by 45th Avenue and 45th Road. In 1948, a local law named the park John F. Murray Playground and on April 10, 1949, James Burke, the Borough President of Queens, hosted the dedication and opening ceremony. He described Murray, who had died on April 6, 1944, at the age of fifty-four, as "an outstanding proponent of the proper kind of facilities for the use of the borough." Murray's family was present at the ceremony., In 1978, Parks received grants from the Community Development Act and the Heritage, Conservation and Recreation Services to renovate the property. When construction ended in 1979, Murray Playground contained new basketball and handball courts, a baseball field, climbing structures, swings, shuffleboard layouts, game tables, see-saws, sitting areas and a separate play area for children. On May 25, 1980, Parks Commissioner Gordon J. Davis and local elected officials gathered to celebrate the reopening of Murray Playground., In 1996, a capital project installed new safety surfacing, and between 2010 and 2014 several portions of the park were upgraded. Improvements included a new comfort station, a synthetic turf field, a dog run, new play equipment, and a performance area with a stage and tiered seating wall. Paved areas were replaced with more trees and shrubs. One of just a handful of parks and parks facilities named for former Parks Department employees, Murray Playground fills a vital role in providing for the recreational needs of the community.