| Bayswater Point State Park | |
|---|---|
 View from park | |
  Location of Bayswater Point State Park Show map of New York City Bayswater Point State Park (New York) Show map of New York Bayswater Point State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Type | State park |
| Location | 1479 Point Breeze Place Far Rockaway, New York[1] |
| Nearest city | Queens, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°37′N73°46′W / 40.61°N 73.77°W /40.61; -73.77 |
| Area | 17 acres (0.069 km2)[2] |
| Created | 1991 (1991) |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Visitors | 12,620 (in 2020)[3] |
| Open | All year |
| Website | Bayswater Point State Park |
Bayswater Point State Park is a 17-acre (0.069 km2)state park located onJamaica Bay inQueens,New York. The park is located at the western end of Mott Avenue inBayswater nearFar Rockaway and is built on land that once housed the mansion and estate of banker Louis A. Heinsheimer.
The site of Bayswater Point State Park once contained Breezy Point, an expansive mansion built in 1907 by New York City banker Louis A. Heinsheimer. In 1925, the mansion was converted into a home for disabled children, and it was later used as a home for children withintellectual disabilities before being placed for sale in the late 1980s.[4]
A 12-acre (0.049 km2) parcel that was to become Bayswater Point State Park was purchased by theTrust for Public Land in 1986. The mansion, which by that point had been damaged by fire, was demolished in 1987 prior to the land being given to New York State in 1988; only theconservatory was left standing.[4]
New York State designated the land as a state park in 1991, and gaveNew York City Audubon administrative duties over the park.[5] Between 1994 and 1996, the Audubon Society conducted a research and restoration project at Bayswater Point, seeking to engage the public with the land's conservation.[6]
In early May 2010, the park was briefly closed to the public as a result of budget cuts, along with 57 additional state parks and historic sites.[7] However, by month's end an agreement had been reached to re-open many of the parks, including Bayswater Point.[8] In 2015, an $80,000 improvement project to stabilize Sunset Lodge at the park was announced.[9]
Bayswater Point State Park was established in order to preserve important habitat for migratory birds in Jamaica Bay. The park also protects habitat for butterflies such as theDelaware skipper, and its beach is used byhorseshoe crabs during their annual mating season.[7] As such, the park is largely undeveloped, and primarily offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, birdwatching, and fishing.[10]
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