59.5 acres
History ? ? ? This park takes its name from the Civil War era fortress on the property. Originally referred to by its location on Willets Point, the Army officially named it for General Joseph Totten (1788-1864), following his demise in the Battle of the Wilderness, in Virginia.
? ? ? Although Robert E. Lee, it is believed, prepared the fort's plans in 1857, construction did not begin until 1862. Built at the mouth of the Long Island Sound, across from its counterpart Fort Schuyler, the addition of Fort Totten created a pinch point meant to protect the eastern approach to the New York harbor. Soon after its completion, however, the fort became obsolete as a defensive structure, due to rapid advances made in artillery during the Civil War. Fort Totten then served primarily for casualty support and hospital care. From 1865 to 1901 the fort housed the Engineer School of Application. In the 20h century, the fort housed the Eastern Artillery District Headquarters (ca. 1901), the Electric Mines and Army School of Submarine Defense (1921), a prototype anti-aircraft installation (1922), and the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Headquarters (1941-1944). During the Cold War, Fort Totten was 1st Region ARADCOM for the Nike Missile Defense System (1954), and since 1969 has been home to the 77th RRC of the U.S. Army Reserves.
? ? ? Two decades of community lobbying for a new Bayside area park led to the Department of Defense giving New York City Parks & Recreation a 10-acre parcel of land along the Cross Island Parkway, between Totten and 15th Roads in 1987. In 2002, the New York City Fire Department, which has operated training facilities here since the 1980s, received a 39.2-acre parcel from the U.S. Department of Education. Two years later, the National Park Service (NPS), through two different Public Benefit Conveyance Grant Programs, gave Parks & Recreation an additional 49.5 acres of land. The open space parcel, which totals 39.5 acres and includes the historic battery, was acquired through the NPS Federal Lands to Parks conveyance program. The historic buildings, which occupy 10 acres, were acquired through the Historic Surplus Property Program.
? ? ? On May 30, 2005, Parks & Recreation officially opened Fort Totten Park as a public facility for the people of New York City.
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