Queens · Neighborhood guide
Woodside
Woodside grew around rail travel, and its shopping streets still meet near the station. A local visit can combine the former-estate landscape of Windmuller Park, Big Bush Playground beside the expressway and the Skillman Avenue library. These are separate destinations, with different reasons to stop.
Understanding Woodside
Woodside was once part of Newtown. Farms gave way to country estates, then worker housing developed with the arrival of rail lines in the 1860s. Irish communities were followed by immigrants from across Asia and the Americas; the city assessment identifies the Filipino community's Little Manila among the area's cultural concentrations.
The City bought land from the Windmuller family in 1936 and opened a park the next year. Neighboring Doughboy Park opened in 1957; closing part of 54th Street to traffic joined the parcels in 1959.
Big Bush was planned on land affected by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Construction on the playground began after that section of the highway was completed.
Roosevelt Avenue runs beneath the elevated 7, meeting Woodside Avenue and nearby shopping streets around the rail station. The station-side commercial area and Skillman Avenue library provide different starting points for a visit.
Places to explore
Lawrence Virgilio Playground / Windmuller Park
52nd to 54th streets, between 39th Road and 39th DriveLook for the hilly estate setting and the public recreation space. The playground honors a firefighter who grew up here and died on September 11, 2001.
Big Bush Playground
Between 61st and 64th streets, Queens Boulevard and the BQEChoose play equipment, ball fields or sitting areas. The park's position beside the expressway is part of its history, rather than an incidental backdrop.
Woodside Library
54-22 Skillman AvenueUse the branch for reading, free computer access or a program from its current calendar. The operator lists wheelchair access and accepts material returns only while the branch is open. Check opening before traveling.
Planning a visit
The rail station near Roosevelt and Woodside avenues is a different starting point from the park entrances and library. Check current MTA service to the selected destination.
Check station elevators and park entrances separately, and consult current Parks information for seasonal recreation facilities.
Sources and visitor information
- Lawrence Virgilio Playground : historyNYC Parks
- Big Bush Playground : historyNYC Parks
- Woodside Commercial District Needs AssessmentNYC Small Business Services / Woodside on the Move
- Woodside LibraryQueens Public Library
- 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs), NYC Open Data 26BNYC Department of City Planning / NYC Open Data