Eastern Parkway

Eastern Parkway

Near New York Avenue in Crown Heights
Former name(s)	Sackett Street
Maintained by	NYCDOT
Length	3.8 mi (6.1 km)[1]
Width	70 to 200 feet (21 to 61 m)
Restrictions	No commercial vehicles west of Ralph Avenue (excluding service roads)
Location	Brooklyn, New York
West end	Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights
East end	Bushwick Avenue in Bushwick
Eastern Parkway
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0998
Built	1870–1874 (original parkway) 1896–1898 (extension)
Architect	Frederick Law Olmsted; Calvert Vaux
NRHP reference No.	83001689[2]
NYCL No.	0998
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 26, 1983
Designated NYCL	August 22, 1978

Eastern Parkway is a major east–west boulevard in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it was built between 1870 and 1874 and has been credited as the world's first parkway. At the time of its construction, Eastern Parkway extended to the eastern edge of the then-independent city of Brooklyn.

The road begins at Grand Army Plaza (the main entrance to Prospect Park) and runs 3.8 miles (6.1 km) east to Bushwick Avenue. The initial portion of Eastern Parkway, west of Ralph Avenue, consists of a main road and two service roads separated by landscaped medians, which include bike paths and walkways. The section west of Ralph Avenue is a New York City scenic landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. The part east of Ralph Avenue is narrower and is officially known as the Eastern Parkway Extension.

Olmsted and Vaux designed Eastern Parkway, along with Ocean Parkway, in the 1860s to connect Prospect Park with neighborhoods further afield. Eastern Parkway was built with the expectation that it would be the centerpiece of a neighborhood with "first-class" housing. Ultimately, the resulting development encompassed a variety of building styles including single-family homes, mansions, and apartment buildings. Eastern Parkway has been modified several times over the years. The extension east of Ralph Avenue was built in the late 1890s, and the original parkway's service roads were widened in the 1900s. The neighborhoods around the parkway developed into a "Doctor's Row" in the late 19th century, and further development occurred with the opening of the New York City Subway's Eastern Parkway Line in 1920. Following a period of deterioration, the section between Washington and Ralph avenues was rebuilt between 1987 and 1993, and the section west of Washington Avenue was rebuilt in the 2000s. By the 21st century, Eastern Parkway had some of Brooklyn's most dangerous intersections.