While perusing old newspapers from 100 years ago, I stumbled across something rather interesting: Mentions of a place called “Juniper Park.”

Not Juniper Valley Park, though, which was completed in 1942. It turns out that from around 1914 to 1929, a year-round private recreation area known as “Juniper Park” was situated just east of Mount Olivet Cemetery and west of Juniper Avenue (69 Street).

The main building, cited in ads as the “largest of all dance halls” served as a roller-skating rink and “casino.” However, a casino in the 1920s was not a gambling establishment but a gathering space for activities, such as dance, music, and sports. The exterior of the hall was noted to be stuccoed and the interior walls tin clad. A separate smaller building, also stuccoed, housed a dining room, bar room and kitchen. Connected to that building was an ice house. South of that was a wagon shed and attached wood storage house.

In warmer months, an outdoor eating pavilion was utilized, but steam heating provided warmth for indoor activities in the winter. What is not obvious from the map but revealed in a 1924 aerial photo (above)is that the hall was surrounded by woods. To the south was a running track and lots of athletic competitions were held at the location. Ads note the availability of “Richardson roller skates,” which were basically platforms on wheels that strapped to the bottoms of patrons’ shoes.

Maspeth is thought of as a transit desert these days as it lacks a subway, but back when the main mode of transport was trolley car, it was considered to be centrally located. Major trolley lines ran along Grand and Metropolitan Avenues and Juniper Park was a short walk from the Maspeth Carbarns, a hub for this type of transit. The New York Caledonian Club, in existence since 1856 and still active today, regularly held competitions and festivals ere for its members. Although popular for some time, there are no newspaper mentions of Juniper Park after 1928. So, what happened to it?

After WWI, business at picnic parks such as Juniper was booming as the country was celebrating the end of the war. But that soon changed with the advent of Prohibition. No swill, no thrill. Any hope of reviving the business model after repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933 was killed by the Great Depression. After WWII, any leftover land was utilized to build housing for those returning from overseas.

I was unable to find photos of this interesting venue. All that’s left now are mentions in old newspaper clippings and sketches on old maps. But it’s fun to think that our grandparents and great-grandparents might have danced, roller skated, or won a competition there. We all have long lost places in our lives that we enjoyed visiting and wish were still around. Many residents of generations past likely felt that way about Juniper Park.