The Airport That Once Dominated New York Is Now A National Park

The airport that once dominated New York is now a national park, reflecting how Floyd Bennett Field’s role changed over time. Located in Brooklyn’s Marine Park neighborhood along the shore of Jamaica Bay, the city-owned airport was approved in 1928 after leaders concluded New York lacked a modern facility within city limits following Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 transatlantic flight from Roosevelt Field. Construction began in 1928 and the airport opened in 1931, named for naval aviator Floyd Bennett. Designed for durability, it featured concrete runways, large steel hangars, and a formal terminal building rather than grass airstrips common at the time. The airfield later supported early aviation records and significant military operations during and beyond World War II. Today, it has a new identity as part of a national park with historic infrastructure and ecological habitat at the edge of Brooklyn.