Patrick O'Rourke Playground

PATRICK O’ROURKE PLAYGROUND

What was here before?

This area was first inhabited by the Canarsie and later settled by the Dutch as early as 1639. By 1657 the area was annexed as part of New Utrecht, one of the six original Dutch towns that later joined as Brooklyn.  Waves of immigrants made their homes here arriving from Scandinavia in the 19th century, from Ireland and Italy in the early 20th century, and later from China, Italy, and the former Soviet Union among other nationalities.  

How did this site become a park?

In 1924 Intermediate School 201 was built on the eastern portion of the block, and the center portion was developed as a school playground. A Victory Garden was established on the land during World War II with neighbors cultivating their own vegetables and aiding in the war effort. In 1956 NYC Parks built a playground adjacent to the schoolyeara parcel adjacent to the schoolyard with play equipment for younger children and their guardians.  

This playground, then known as P.S. 201 Playground, became a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving the school and local community. Beginning in 1938, the Board of Education (now the Department of Education) agreed to provide land next to schools where NYC Parks could build and maintain playgrounds that could be used by the school during the day and by the public when school is not in session. 

The park was renamed in 1986 to Dyker Heights Playground and again in 2003 for Patrick O’Rourke.

In 2016 the site was rebuilt featuring new play equipment, swings and safety surface, and a tot playhouse. A cub was added to join an existing bear play feature and new benches, and a seating area completed the project.  In 2023 the multipurpose play area was reconstructed.

Who is this park named for?

This playground is named for Patrick O’Rourke (1970-2001), a local citizen whose mistreatment during a medical procedure led to universal mandatory medical monitoring improvements.  

As a small boy O’Rourke attended Redeemer Nursery School, Public School 127, and Saint Ephrem’s School.  At age eight, while undergoing a medical procedure at a local hospital, he suffered severe brain damage that rendered him incapacitated for 20 years until his death. His family advocated for improved monitoring of patients and brought his cause to wide attention. Their advocacy led to the use in all hospitals of a finger-monitoring alert device known as a pulse oximeter machine, which measures the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream and is now required by law during the administration of anesthesia.

Patrick’s plight touched numerous people and had a global and lasting impact on medical practice.  Patrick O’Rourke Playground honors his memory and will serve as a vital community green space for years to come.