Jacob Riis Park, also called Jacob A. Riis Park or Jacob Riis State Park, is a seaside park at the southwestern end the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It lies at the foot of the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, adjacent to the east of Fort Tilden, and west of Neponsit and Rockaway Beach. Originally a city-run park under the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is currently part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, and is managed by the National Park Service (NPS).Plans emerged for a coastal park located in the Rockaways in the early 20th Century, with the property acquired by the city in 1912. Initially called Seaside Park and later Telawana Park, the park was named in 1914 for social journalist Jacob Riis, who advocated for the creation of the park. During World War I, the site was used as the Rockaway Naval Air Station, one of the first naval air stations in the United States. Riis Park was largely constructed between 1936 and 1937 by NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, who envisioned Riis Park as a getaway for New York City residents comparable to Jones Beach State Park on Long Island. The park was built along with the Marine Parkway Bridge and the Belt Parkway in nearby Brooklyn, which provided access to the park.
