Brower Park

Denise Brown

Brower Park was named after a former Parks Commissioner, and features hand ball courts, basketball courts and a city block- long circled path with benches along it to sit and relax or watch people jogging or playing Frisbee with their dogs in the grassy center of the circle.

As teenagers during the 1970’s we used to hang out in the park listening to music and/or the Five Percenters (a division of self taught Muslim young men) debate and proselytize.

The park is still as active or is more active today. During the summer there has been a few free concerts, basketball tournaments are held during the summer months and you can always hear the laughter of children playing in the park enjoying the slides and swings. Meanwhile, mothers and friends sit nearby reading or talking. And on Memorial Day or 4th of July, you can smell the hickory scented smells of barbecue cooking slowly on grills set up by picnickers.

You can see the large open basketball court as you enter from Brooklyn Avenue at Park Place. Driving by you can always see teams of young men enthusiastically playing as if they were in the NBA finals themselves!